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COMPANY "A" 
TWENTY-THIRD ENGINEERS 




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A. E. F. 






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Copyright, 1920, by 
KOBT. M. STACK, Chicago, 111. 



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C1A567242 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



Co. A, 23rd Engrs. — A. E. F. 

A History of Company A, 23rd Engineers, First Army, A. E. F., 
compiled by members of the command while in Billy-sur Mangenies, 
Army of Occupation, A. E. F., 1919. 

THE STAFF 

A. S. Hackett, Capt., C. of E ._ .....Commanding Officer 

Wm. B. Ellington, Prvt. 1st Class... Editor-in-Chief 

Geo. P. Trax, 1st Lieut Associate Editor 

Robt. M. Stack, Prvt Managing Editor 

Dennis Bergin, Corp. 1 

Peter McGinnity, Corp. j-... ...Assistant Publishers 

Maynard M. Small, Corp.) 
Wesley Grauer, Sergt. 
Robt. E. Sullivan, Pvt. 

Paul N. Coates, Sgt., 1st Class f Articles 

Gilbert Cooper, Pvt. J 

Ernest Robertson, Pvt., 1st Class. Poetry 

Albert B. Edwards, Pvt., 1st Class.. Maps 

Wm. D. Searight, Pvt., 1st Class Typewriting 

Art Department 

Miss Neysa McMein, Y. M. C. A..... Frontispiece 

John Bjorkman, Pvt Wood-engraving 

Robt. W. Thompson, Pvt., 1st Class. Cartoons 




Coat of Arms 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



Colonel Roosevelt and Company "A" 

Sergeant Don Neely, "A" Company, in a letter to his 
father, Dr. John R. Neely of Spokane, Washington, described 
his visit to the grave of Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt dur- 
ing the Chateau-Thierry drive. His father, a friend of the 
late Colonel and himself the father of four sons in the Serv- 
ice, forwarded the letter to Colonel Roosevelt and received 
the following reply : 

THE KANSAS CITi' STAR 



Office of 
Theodore Roosevelt 



New York Office 
347 Madison Avenue 



September 16, 1918. 
My Dear Dr. Neely: 

I thank you for your letter and I appreciate what your 
son Donald said of Quentin's grave. I heartily congratulate 
you on what your four sons are doing. I send them my re- 
gards and the expression of my admiration. 

With high regard, 

Faithfully yours, 

THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 

N. B. — One of the Neelys was later killed while 
frying. 





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Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt's Grave 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



DEDICATION 

To Our Buddies: 

Members of the American Ex- 
peditionary Forces, who gave their 
lives that civilization might live, 
this volume is respectfully dedicated. 



t 



<4l«h. 




An Unknown Buddie's Grave 



OUR SPONSORS 



I. 







MISS NEYSA /ll'fJIt y^ Y. M. C. A.. A. E. F. 

Cover Designer of the Saturday Evening Post 



AND BUDDIES 

On the Road, France, Sept. 24, 1918. 

Company "A" 23rd Engrs., 
Late of Camp Snelling, 
And our favorite audience: 

Hello, all you old dears. 

We've been picking up the thread of your recent history from any 
number of sources, after weeks of hearing nothing from or about you, 
we suddenly began running into members and friends of your outfit at 
every turn. In the last town we were stationed at, who should come to 
"call" on us but McKee recently detailed, as you know, to some head- 
quarters company effect. It was really quite amusing. We had a lovely 
little French garden behind the house we were billeted in, and I ambled 
home that day with a hopeful young captain who had volunteered to 
carry my bundles up from the Y. We trailed out into the garden and 
there sat Neysa and two privates, who turned out to be McKee and a 
youngster named Cody from another Engineer outfit. Our delight at 
hearing about you all was not feigned, and the captain, after watching 
the situation for about five minutes, turned and beat it. He was a nice 
captain, in his way, too. 

Next thing we give a show in a large and splendiferous hut, and just 
as I am well launched, going my strongest, a voice howls forth from the 
back of the house, "Hit me and take it." That turned out to be an 
itinerant member of Company "B." But how ones little sins do haunt 
one. Is that episode of the Sergeant's tent going to dog my footsteps 
now through my whole life. Me eye. 

Next, after a long jaunt all over France in a machine, we arrive 
here to make our headquarters for another circuit. We pull up at our 
Y headquarters looking for mail, and there stands a motorcycle and side 
car containing some. Cody and Corporal Jones (late of Black-Jack fame). 
We had a good talk, though there was too much going on in the way of 
hunting billets, seeing Y directors, etc., to have much peace of mind. 
However, we expect to play a camp where we'll see all that detail some- 
time this week. I hear that Sergt. Murphy now describes Company 'A" 
as "Shock troops," * * * what do you think of that? Oh Murphy, 
and that before twelve o'clock noon. * * » What is our pet com- 
pany coming to? If I hear any more tales like that, I shall begin to 
believe that I am personally responsible for having started Black-Jack 
and the Devil careering through Company "A." "Oh list, while I tell 
you of the blighter that blighted my life," you'll sing with a new meaning. 

I must relate our history for a bit, too. We've taken on another 
girl who is a whiz. She sketches, too, and does a number of surprising 
things. In fact, we almost have a real true show now. I wish we could 
do it for you toot sweet. That wish is not such a wild possibility, either. 
We have a fairly accurate idea of where you now are and it is not impos- 
sible that our next circuit will be in that vicinity. Mud has set in, as 
you may have noticed, and we've collected a fine lot of it. On Sunday 
afternoon we took a half holiday and went horseback riding, which was 
great, but as we hadn't any of us ridden for ages, we've had to have our 
meals served on a mantlepiece ever since. Seriously, though, I guess 
life has had its ups and downs for you all lately — perhaps principally 
downs. But this thing isn't going to last forever. Whatever else you 
may do, don't for goodness sake lose the splendid morale your outfit had 
when we visited it. You were one of the corkingest crowds we have ever 
met, and we want to go on being proud of you, as long as we're over 
here. Miss McMein sends her best. Au revoir — soon. 

Yours always devotedly, 

JANE. 

Letter of Miss Jane Bulley, Y. M. C. A. Worker, A. E. F. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



An Appreciation 

— Men — Shake Hands with a Regular Skipper 

We thought we knew him and we knew we liked him ; but we never 
could seem to know what he actually thought of us. In Burley we knew 
his lot was hard, his trials many, we now know what his speech at 
Snelling meant. He put his own advancement aside and our "misguided" 
desires to the fore. And you all know now, how we lived to regret that 
change. Had we a man of his caliber and capabilities at our head we 
could have all "reaped the harvest" First Army Engineers Headquarters 
offered us at Ussy, nor would the confusion above the Marne or the blun- 
ders of the Argonne craters have occurred — but that's all History now. 
We were enabled to have him back and believe us the change meant no 
regret this time. 

And now — while we, the History committee, were getting grey figur- 
ing out a finance scheme, the following postcard, silently but "you can't 
tell 'em" how gratefully, dropped in — 



306 Whitney Bldg., N. 0., La., Jan. 7, 1920. 
My dear Stack: 

Yours of the fourth just received and am glad to hear from 
you. Sorry about the delay with Co. History. 

If you haven't yet succeeded in financing the proposition let me 
know "toot sweet" and I will try to arrange same. Best regards. 

Yours in haste, 

A. S. HACKETT. 



Men — Read our Effort and thank the Skipper — All MAN and a 
Regular Fellow. 

THE COMMITTEE. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



OUR SKIPPER 




CAPTAIN A. S. HACKETT, C. of E. 
Comroanding Officer "A" Company, 23rd Engineers, A. E. F. 



10 COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



The Engineers 



When the convoy crawls on a long white road, 

Straight to the blazing line, 
While the drivers nod as they guide their load 

On where the star shells shine. 
If a "two-ten" drops with a roaring crash, 

The big trucks cease to roll, 
And the C. 0. growls as he views the smash 

And swears at the ten-foot hole ! 

"Job for the Engineers — 

Bring up the wrecking crew, 
Shovel and pick will do the trick. 
Then we can go on through." 
They're on the spot, you bet: 
Soon, with a clash of gears. 
We're on the way, for the road's 0. K., 
Fixed by the Engineers! 

When the storm troops wait at the river banks. 

And each stone bridge is blown. 
And the stream's too deep for the fat old tanks. 

And pontoons must be thrown 
Where the water boils with the shell and shot. 

It's "Engineers, 'toot sweet,' " 
They will lose one-half of the men they've got. 

But build that bridge, complete. 

"Job for the Engineers — 
Never you mind the loss. 
Fritz has a hate, but the troops can't wait: 
See that they get across. 
You won't get no rewards. 
Hear any shouts or cheers, 
Bring up your mob, for here's a job — 
Job for the Engineers." 

Oh, they mend the wire where it guards the front ; 

They dig the dugouts deep. 
And to tunnel mines is their steady stunt — 

Like moles that get no sleep. 
They take their chance where the gas clouds lurk. 

And I'll say it appears 
That darn small glory and beaucoup work 

Comes to the Engineers. 

"Job for the Engineers — 

Something that 'can't be done,' " 
Nevertheless they'll do it, yes; 

That's how they get their fun. 
Armed with a kit of tools. 
Careless of hopes or fears, 
Big jobs or small, you simply call — 
Call for the Engineers. 

— By Berton Braley. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



11 



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12 COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 

PREFACE 

This book is written expressly for the members of Company "A," 
23rd Engineers (Highway), who volunteered their services to the gov- 
ernment upon its call for men of skill in Engineering Work for early 
service Overseas, during the Great World War — 1914-19. 

It follows the Company in all its undertakings from its official organ- 
ization, through France and then back to the States, until the time of 
being mustered out. 

The story is based on actual facts, and happenings as they actually 
occurred and as observed by us in our own way. No endeavor is made 
to fill the reader with cock and bull stories. It is our own. If perchance 
the reader should not be identified with our little command, we trust 
that you may view the related experiences with as much zeal as we 
heartily engaged in them. 

The cartoons exhibited are creations of two of our talented men ; the 
photographs were made by our own photographers, the engravings are 
a product of our engraver; many stories and saying are of our own 
origination and in each article or write-up is displayed a characteristic 
individuality of the writer. 

The Diary will furnish a chronological record of happenings, and 
will probably call back to mind many thoughts of scenes in France. 

We feel that the work we have done has been very essential in this 
war or movement, for much has depended upon the condition of roads 
over which motorized and horse-drawn transports could function the 
better toward the ultimate end. 

During our sojourn in France, we were in the Zone of Advance, near 
the Fighting Front, until the signing of the Armistice, and have seen 
the operations of many of the divisions that were actually engaged in 
Front-line work. Here we may quote Major Wm. M. Acheson, formerly 
Division Engineer and Chief of Road Service of the Advance Section of 
American Army, speaking before the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. 

Major Wm. M. Acheson was formerly Division Engineer and Chief 
of Road Service of the Advance Section of American Armies. 

"The work of the American Engineers was as great a revelation as 
the American soldier in France. The stone crushers and steam shovels 
had them hypnotized. It would sound like a fairy tale if I told you how 
much was accomplished by young American manhood over there. You 
know the Engineers don't get half the credit they deserve. 

"The Engineers are the boys who are up in front laying barbed- 
wire, staking out trenches and other advance work that has to be done 
before the doughboys get in. And the Engineers certainly saw action." 

"The first American technical troops to get to the front were Com- 
panies "A" and "C", 23rd Engineers. They arrived in France last Janu- 
ary and were on the front ten days after their arrival. 

The particular work we did was the surface work for air fields, 
building tank centers and constructing motor transportation parks, be- 
sides keeping the roads in shape to the Base and Camp Hospitals and 
keeping the line of communication open. 

"The importance of our work can be best realized by the quotation 
from a note written to the Commanding Officer, Lines of Communica- 
tions, Advance Section, by the General of the First Division of the Amer- 
ican Expeditionary Forces, behind which the road-builders were at work, 
as follows: 

" 'I was very hard pressed in the Sector (Toul) on account of the 
terrible roads, daily growing worse under hard usage. It was necessary 
to act quickly and directly with G. H. Q. Your men are doing good 
work. They are really saving the situation.' " 

Also we re-constructed and repaired the roads over 
which the Army of Occupation marched through toward the Rhine, and 
maintained their lines of communication. 

We, therefore, feel justified in relating our story, in our own way, 
as we have observed the happenings. LT. GEO. P. TRAX. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 13 



Only a Volunteer 

Why didn't I wait to be drafted, 
And led to the train by a band, 

Or put in a claim for exemption ; 
Oh, why did I hold up my hand? 

Why didn't I wait for the banquet? 

Why didn't I wait to be cheered? 
For the drafted men get all the credit, 

While I only volunteered. 

And nobody gave me a banquet, 

Nobody gave me a kind word. 
The puff of the engine, the grind of the wheels, 

Was all the good-by that I heard. 

Then off to the training camp I hustled 
To be trained for the next half year. 

And in the shuffle forgotten — 
I was only a volunteer. 

But perhaps some day in the future. 
When my little boy sits on my knee 

And asks what I did in the struggle, 
And his little eyes look up at me, 

I will have to look into those eyes, 

That at me so trustfully peer. 
And say that I wasn't drafted 

BUT THAT I WAS A VOLUNTEER. 



— Author Unknown. 



14 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



Co. *'A'' 23rd Engineers, A. E. F. 

Its Formation and Growth on This Side 



The 23rd Regiment of Engineers was or- 
ganized by special order of the War Depart- 
ment to function as a Highway unit on con- 
struction, reconstruction, repair and main- 
tenance of Highways. Men of Engineering 
skill and experience were demanded. Adver- 
tisements were inserted in many technical 
journals of the U. S. In fact many personal 
letters were written to the technical organ- 
izations of the different States, asking for 
such. This brought forth many men of high 
caliber from every State in the Union, who 
more or less had been connected with High- 
way construction. 

On October 5th, 1917, a small body of re- 
cruits arrived at Camp Meade, Md., and 
were assigned to Company "A," 23rd En- 
gineers, with Lieut. Thomas Hampton in 
charge and C. S. Wilson, acting Top Ser- 
geant. The men were quartered in Barrack 
P. 19. The end of that day of organization 
found Company "A" composed of one First 
Lieutenant, one acting Top Sergeant and 35 
men. 

The following few days men were coming 
in and soon our company numbered 150 
strong. Mess was furnished by Conrpany 
"D," of our regiment, until the civilian cooks 
could whip a few of our men into shape, so 
that we could open up our own mess. 

Passes were granted to one-third the com- 
pany for Saturday and Sundays, which 
proved a great treat for the boys, who had 
never before been under military discipline. 

Capt. Beyers on October 12th, 1917, as- 
sumed command of Company "A." All passes 
were stopped and the company settled down 
to long hours of drills and hikes. 

Ashley, acting Top Sergeant, was soon 
transferred to Company "C" and Grymes, 
Jr., took his place, and on November 1st, 
1917, was made Top Sergeant. C. J. Cooper 
was made acting Mess Sergeant and from 
that time on our mess fund accumulated. 

On October 23rd, 1917, our company, num- 
bering 160 men, assembled at Regimental 
Headquarters and were reclassified. Com- 
pany "A" coming out of the melee with 78 
men, 14 of them new. 

The company was issued new Springfields 
on October 25th and on the 27th had our 
first inspection by Capt. Beyers, who not 
only inspected our guns but showed us how 
to wear our campaign hats in a military 
style. 



Our course of training was not as long as 
the majority of other organizations, for 
about the time we had learned how to be a 
soldier, what was meant by discipline and 
how to handle the rifle and fire we left for 
overseas. 

Many of us, however, will remember those 
first days when we discarded our civilian 
clothes and dressed up in "0. D.'s." On 
the drill field we were forever forgetting our 
right foot from our left nor could we tell a 
"buck" from an oft'icer, but, nevertheless, we 
were then one of the "volunteer outfits" and 
had resigned ourselves to meet the condi- 
tions as we found them. Also we were con- 
tinuously bothered with the Medical Depart- 
ment, who were attempting to give us in- 
numerable "shots in the arm" for typhoid, 
measles, scarlet fever and many other dis- 
eases that are expected of children in gram- 
mar school ; in fact, we were in quarantine 
for measles and mumps 75 per cent of our 
stay at Camp Meade and Laurel. 

While those never-to-be-forgotten inspec- 
tions and battalion reviews, the long hours 
of standing in the snow with heavy packs, 
in fact we stood until several of the boys 
would drop to the ground from sheer cold 
and fatigue — the long hikes through mud 
and rain — any and every possible method be- 
ing used to put us into shape for the time 
when we would be overseas. 

This hard and active training soon weeded 
out those who could not endure the strain, 
and when our company appeared before the 
Medical Department at Jersey City they re- 
marked that without doubt this company 
was in better shape than any other outfit 
that had heretofore appeared. 

Just a glance over the enlisted personnel of 
our company shows we have 40 per cent who 
are graduated from technical colleges 30 per 
cent who pursued other college courses, 20 
per cent who were practical highway engi- 
neers with 4 to 14 years' practical experi- 
ence, and the remaining 10 per cent were 
more than proficient in their selected voca- 
tions. These 260 men covered 60 profes- 
sions and each in his line of work, when 
called upon, could make good and finish the 
work that was required of him. This is the 
type of men who answered the "No Pick 
and Shovel Ads" of the 23rd Engineers — 
and Our Diary which follows tells the rest. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



15 



THE DIARY 



Nov. 11 — Cool and Fair. The first detach- 
ment left for the rifle range. They reached 
the half way point at 7:30 P. M. and 
made camp. They slept on the ground, 
having no tents. All were terribly tired. 
While on the way a woman gave them 
apples and the boys cheered her. Ten 
recruits were assigned to the company. 
Company "A" starts a mess for all re- 
cruits. 



Nov. 12 — Cold and Fair. The bunch on the 
way to the rifle range continuerd their 
hike this morning. They received apples 
and other fruit at two places along the 
way from kindly women. Cheers. We 
marched through Annapolis at "Atten- 
tion" and shortly reached an arm of the 
Chesapeake Bay, where the company was 
halted and everybody washed their feet. 
While marching through Annapolis, a 
baker gave the boys some bread. It sure 
was good. At first the water felt good, 
but soon after their feet began to swell 
and that made matters worse. They ar- 
rived at the range about noon, all tired 
out. The Naval authorities at the range 
gave us a meal and apologized for it tell- 
ing us the mess would get better from 
day to day. Immediately after mess the 
bunch went out to the range to begm 
their practice. One detail was left in 
camp to erect tents. 



Nov. 13 — Cool and Fair. At the range. 
Part of the boys were put on the firing 
line, while the others were sent to the 
butt3 to operate the targets. Nobody 
likes «nis detail, as it is very cold in the 
butts with nothing more exciting to do 
than listen to the bullets tearing through 
the targets. The boys at Camp Meade 
drilled all day. A roadmaster of the B. 
& 0. railroad got away with a lot of booze 
from the incoming recruits. 



Nov. 14 — Fair and Cold. At the range. A 
pie wagon visited camp and did a rush- 
ing business, even the off'icers hit the 
line. It was a life saver. At Camp Meade: 
Two of our boys were transferred to the 
27th Engineers, which is just being or- 
ganized. Drilled all day. 



Nov. 15 — Cold. The bunch at the rifle range 
practiced as usual today. Sergt. Peak in 
taking a detail over to Annapolis for a 
bath, lined them up in the dark and gave 
them "Ptight Dress" and "Cover Off." 



Nov. 16 — Clear. At Camp Meade the com- 
pany drilled all day and had movies in the 
evening. Lieut. Rossell is assigned to 
Company "A." 



Nov. 17 — Fair and Cold. The boys at Camp 
Meade stood inspection and had the re- 
mainder of the day off. The Army can- 
teen is busy today. All are buying many 
supplies. We saw a boxing match at the 
Y. M. C. A. in the evening. 



Nov. 18 — Fair and Cold. The second bunch 
left for the rifle range today. Nobody 
fell out on the hike to Annapolis. Camp 
Meade is full of visitors. We signed up 
for government insurance. 



Nov. 19 — Cold and Cloudy. The second 
bunch arrived at the rifle range at 1 :30 
P. M. The first bunch at the range 
leaves for Camp Meade. On the way 
back, the officers lost their way. They 
inquired the way from a little girl eight 
years old, who did not know, so one of 
the officers wanted to know why she 
didn't know. He almost scared the kid 
to death. On the last lap of the hike, 
Lieut. Page set a terrific pace, and when 
the men arrived at the half-way camp 
they were worn out and wet with per- 
spiration. After mess the boys were is- 
sued pup tents and managed to get theih 
up. Companies "B" and "E" of the 23rd 
arrived at the camp in the evening. It 
was very cold all night. 



Nov. 20 — Cold and Cloudy. This morning 
the bunch left the half-way camp, and 
started the last lap towards Camp Meade. 
A hot pace was set. The men are about 
all in and foot sore. Near Camp Meade 
the detail halted, and the men immedi- 
ately made a stampede for a little store 
nearby and bought the place out of cook- 
ies, etc. A good dinner was served them 
on their arrival at camp. At the rifle 
range, the boys in the second bunch be- 
gan their practice. They also got passes 
to Annapolis to take a bath. 



Nov. 21 — Clear and Cold. The company 
drills most of the day. The men are vac- 
cinated. We have a cari^enter detail box- 
ing supplies for the trip across. 



Nov. 22 — Cold and Clear. The company 
drills all day. Weeks becomes King of 
the K. P.'s. Fourteen new recruits are 



16 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



assigned to the company. The carpenter 
detail is at work. 



Nov. 23 — Fair and Cool. The company 
drills. Orders are received for us to move. 
We pack up and are ready to move at an 
hour's notice. We waited all day in the 
barracks. Guards are posted and the men 
are not allowed to leave the barracks. 
Four men are transferred to the 28th En- 
gineers, just being organized. We went 
to bed with our clothes on and our packs 
rolled. 



Nov. 24 — Cold. We are ordered to unpack. 
We have drill and inspection of arms in 
the barracks. 



Nov. 25 — Fair and Cool. We set up stoves 
in the barracks. Fifteen Company "A" 
men are transferred to Company "C." 



Nov. 26 — Cold and Windy. The company is 
reorganized. We are drilled by Capt. 
Beyers. Lieut. Hampton drills the com- 
pany in the afternoon. 



Nov. 27 — Snowed all day. Company "A" 
is in quarantine, no one is permitted to 
leave the barracks. Our blankets and 
bedding are aired. Windows and doors 
must be kept open. The rookies are is- 
sued rifles and taught the Manual of 
Arms. 



Nov. 28 — Cold and Cloudy. Three inches 
of snow is on the ground. A call for vol- 

■ unteers to cook the Thanksgiving dinner 
is made. Several of the boys worked all 
night baking turkeys. We drilled in the 
morning, and went through the Manual of 
Arms near the barracks. The company is 
inspected by the M. D. for signs of mea- 
sles. We were issued haversacks, and 
those who have not been to the range, 
were shown how to roll packs. 



Nov. 29 — Clear and Mild. It is Thanksgiv- 
ing day. The company has the day off. 
We had dinner at 1:00 P. M. Just be- 
fore dinner we were serenaded by the 
band. Here is the menu for dinner: 

Turkey and oyster dressing. 

Cranberry sauce. 

Salad and pickles. 

Nuts and fruits. 

Pie. 

Jam and jellies. 
One turkey was given to a squad. The 
mess hall was all decorated. Cigars and 
cigarettes were given out. Speeches were 
made by Top Sergt. Grymes, Sergt. Ryder, 
Lieut. Hampton, Weeks and others. Our 
Lydia Pinkham Quartet rendered many 



songs. It was one grand time. We are 
still quarantined for measles, which no- 
body ever had. 



Nov. 30 — Rain all day. We are inspected 
again by the M. D. The third bunch was 
ready to leave for the rifle range with 
their packs and everything fixed up, after 
"standing to" for twenty minutes, they 
were told to unpack and fall out for drill. 
We had a long hike in the rain by a 
short, fat, little Lieutenant. We hiked 
two miles below Admiral and back, cov- 
ering over ten miles. We were soaked 
with rain and covered with mud when 
we got back to the barracks. But — we 
had met Shorty. 



Dec. 1 — Fair and Mild. We received our 
third "shot in the arm" today. We stood 
inspection of rifles and quarters. The 
company drilled in the afternoon. 



Dec. 2 — Fair and Mild. The bunch to go 
to the range packed up again with orders 
to be ready to leave at 8:00 A. M. They 
stayed jmcked all day and were not al- 
lowed to leave the barracks. They had 
not left by evening and so unpacked. 



Dec. 3 — Cold. A heavy frost last night. We 
had an hour of setting up exercise this 
morning, then we drilled with rifles. A 
long lecture with illustrations on Formal 
Guard Moimt was given by Lieut. Kern. 



Dec. 4 — Fair and Cold. The second bunch 
at the range returns to Camp Meade and 
is put in quarantine in the lower part of 
the barracks. The third bunch, 99 men, 
finally left for the range. They went in 
trucks instead of hiking. At the exit of 
the camp they were stopped by an M. P. 
who did not want to leave them pass. 
They finally got away. 



Dec. 5 — Fair and Cold. The company is 
drilled. We have a detail packing regi- 
mental supplies ; consisting of picks, shov- 
els, harness, etc. 



Dec. 6— Cloudy and Cold. The boys at the 
rifle range erect a mess hall. The com- 
pany is drilled. Our detail is still boxing 
supplies. 



Dec. 7 — Fair and Cold. The company drills. 
A detail is making field desks. One ser- 
geant is made. The company has a meet- 
ing for genera! discussion. "Lieut. Vege- 
tables" makes his famous speech entitled, 
"In this warm climate we should have 
more vegetables." Dixie and Kaylor also 
speak. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



17 



L>ec. 8 — Rain and snow all day. The detail 
is still making field desks. Inspection of 
rifles and quarters was held. 



Dec. 9— Sunday— Fair and Cold. Terribly 
windy. The ground is frozen. The com- 
pany has the day off'. Everybody is 
washing clothes. 



Dec. 10 — Clear and Cold. Windy. It was 
too cold for the boys on the range to 
shoot. The company tries to drill. Our 
carpenter detail is working. 

Dec. 11 — Cold and Windy. The company 
drills. The carpenter detail is working". 

Dec. 12 — Snow. The company drills and 
takes a long hike. Everybody i.s soaked 
to the skin on their return. The detail is 
still on carpenter work. 

Dec. 13 — Snow and Rain. Boys on rifle 
range shoot their final course. They 
went to Annapolis in the evening to 
bathe. Capt. Beyers is transferred from 
the company. Our oft'icial personnel is 
three captains, one 1st lieutenant and 
one 2nd lieutenant. The company is a 
training school for all incoming officers. 
Capt. Hackett is in command of the 
company. 



Dec. 14 — Clear and Cold. The company 
drills. A detail is on carpenter work. 



Dec. 15 — Cloudy and Cold. Rain. The mea- 
sles quarantine is lifted. Capt. Beyers 
leaves the company and Capt. Hackett as- 
sumes command. J. A. Murphy gives 
three cheers for Capt. Beyers. Christ- 
mas packages begin to arrive. 



Dec. 16 — Cloudy and Cold. Company "A" 
men are coaching Company "B" men on 
the rifle range. The third bunch returns 
to Camp Meade. Two inches of snow is 
on the ground. Lieut. Watson is attached 
to the company. 



Dec. 17 — Clear and Cold. We had drill in 
skirmish foiTnation today. Lieut. Kern 
takes the men who qualified on the range 
out to the estimate distances to complete 
their course. Pond got up for reveille for 
the first time. 



Dec. 18 — Clear and Cold. We had a pack 
inspection lasting one hour, in the snow. 
Several of the fellows dropped from cold 
exhaustion. We drilled for review in the 
afternoon. 



Dec. 19 — Cold and Cloudy. The men were 
taken to watch the relieving of the guard 



in a formal guard mount. We drilled and 
marched for an hour to music at head- 
quarters. Many of the boys are sick. 



Dec. 20 — Clear and Cold. The company 
drilled. The carpenter detail is at work. 



Dec. 21 — Fair and Cold. Pay day. All beds 
are moved out of doors. We also drilled. 
Three men are made sergeants and one is 
made a corporal. 



Dec. 22 — Fair and Cold. We are issued all 
of our equipment. No inspection today. 
We fell in at 8:30 A. M. for battalion re- 
view by Major Skinner. In the after- 
noon a grand review of the 79th Division 
was held. We stood in line from 1:00 to 
3:30 awaiting our turn to march by the 
reviewing stand. It was terribly cold. 
The 23rd Engineers were especially com- 
mended by Secretary Baker. A bunch 
left immediately after the review for a 
Christmas furlough. 



Dec. 23 — Sunday — Cold and Cloudy. More 
of the fellows leave for the holidays. The 
company has the day off'. 



Dec. 24 — Cold and Snow. More of the boys 
left on three day passes. We drilled all 
day. Most of the men have bad colds. 
Major Skinner drilled the battalion this 
afternoon. It made a poor showing. 
Part of the company is on guard. 



Dec. 25 — Clear and Cold. We have a fine 
Chi'istmas dinner; turkey with all the 
trimmings. Lieut. Hampton and wife 
dine with the boys. The Red Cross gives 
out kits. Part of the company is on 
guard. 



Dec. 26— Terribly Cold and Windy. The 
company drills. The carpenter detail is 
at work. 



Dec. 27 — Cold and Clear. We have company 
drill. The carpenter detail is working. 

Dec. 28 — Snow. The company drills. The 
company hiked ten miles lead by Shorty. 
We had skirmish drill in the afternoon, 
and then a battalion review before Major 
Stickney. When we came back from drill 
the entire company was put on a wood 
detail. Many of the men have bli.stei-ed 
and sore feet. 



Dec. 29 — Cold. We move to Laurel, Md. 
Details in charge of Sergt. Rider are fix- 
ing camp. We eat in the open, the food 
freezes in the mess kit. We sleep on the 
floor of an old cotton mill, with two blan- 
kets apiece. The first night we had no 



18 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



guards posted. Major Stickney walks 
around and is given no challenge. He 
gives the officers Hell. 

Dec. 30— Cold. 8° below. Fahey goes to 
Baltimore; he gets back late and is given 
K. P. duty for on the boat, which turned 
out to be a snap job. We carried our 
barrack bags from the dining hall to the 
old mill. We had supper in our new mess 
hall, which was at one time an exhibit 
hall for the Laurel State Fair. 



Dec. 31 — Fair and Very Cold. We have de- 
tails building showers, tents and working 
around the mess hall. Sergt. Ryder is 
in charge of all details, and rates two 
dog-robbers. A dance was given at the 
Masonic Hall for our boys. Everyone had 
a good time. 



Jan. 1 — Clear and Cold. Ten degrees below 
zero. Our detail putting up tents, built 
a platform for the first tent, and nearly 
wore the tent out putting it up and tak- 
ing it down again and again. Sergt. 
Ryder thinks he knows it all. Another 
dance was given in Laurel but only a 
few of the favorites were given passes 
to attend. Our New Years' dinner con- 
sisted of boiled cabbage, boiled potatoes 
with the skins on, beef stew, tea without 
sugar and cream. The guards around the 
camp are working a one hour stand on 
account of it being so cold. 



Jan. 2 — Clear and Cold. Four degrees be- 
low. Details are still working on the 
tents. They are also fixing up the mess 
hall, building tables, etc. Charlie Ralston 
is on "Sky Hook's" shower detail. In 
Laurel we had a bowling contest with 
Company "B" 2nd. Company "A" won 
with 243 points in two games. Lieut. 
Davis is officer of the day. 

Jan. 3 — Cloudy and Cold. Everybody is 
broke. We answered to the Muster Roll 
today. We are doing pick and shovel 
work; the ground is frozen so hard that 
we have to thaw it out before any work 
can be done. More tents arrived for the 
regiment. We have a detail unloading 
cars of lumber for the tent floors. 



Jan. 4 — Clear and Cold. Details are build- 
ing tent floors and unloading cars of 
lumber. 



Jan. 5 — Clear and Cold. Four degrees be- 
low. Details worked until dark building 
tent floors. One hundred fifty floors were 
finished. A lieutenant and detail worked 
all day setting up one tent for a model. 



Thirty picked men were allowed to attend 
a dance in Laurel. The Masonic Order at 
Laurel invites all Masons in our company 
to attend their meeting. 



Jan. 6 — Sunday — Clear and Cold. The men 
were invited to attend the M. E. Church 
in Laurel. The company worked all day. 
Sergt. Ryder wanted to know if we were 
aware that we were at war. Walker is 
Ryder's dog-robber and detective. Dy- 
kema's religion is not strong enough to 
make him get up at 5:00 A. M. to attend 
church. 

Jan. 7 — Snow. We worked until after 6:00 
P. M. as the tent floors had to be finished. 
We got them all up but a few. 



Jan. 8 — Clear and Cold. Windy. Details 
put up more tents. Our rifles are taken 
from us. 

Jan. 9 — Very Cold. The company moved 
into the tents today. Companies "E" and 
"F" arrive in Laurel, they moved into 
the mill. Rumors say that we are to 
leave next week. Details are putting up 
tents for the other companies. 



Jan. 10 — "\'ery Cold. Snow flurries. Com- 
pany "C" moves from Washington Bar- 
racks to Laurel. 



Jan. 11 — Rain and Snow. We receive a 
medical examination. It is supposed to 
be our firal examination. A big detail 
in charge of Lieut. Hampton is sent up 
town. Jake Knauf is put under arrest. 
Jake said, "It sure was good." We are 
now feedmg companies "E" and "C" and 
it is hard to get enough to eat. 



Jan. 12 — Snow. Terribly cold. Lieut. Hamp- 
ton takes another bunch of fellows to 
Laurel. All of our equipment is checked. 
We receive another medical examination. 
All lacking equipment is issued. All dress 
shoes are turned in. Rumors say that 
we are going over. 



Jan. 13 — Fair and Cold. We empty bed 
ticks and carry barrack bags and packs 
to the Race Track for the final inspection. 
The inspection only lasted for three hours. 
We were to be ready to leave at noon, but 
shortly after evening mess we were or- 
dered to unpack and go to bed. At 9:30 
P. M. we were routed out of bed, all 
thought we were going to leave, but were 
only issued our identification tags. 



Jan. 14 — Snow and Cold. New rifles are 
issued to the company. Another medical 
examination was held. Will they never 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



19 



end? The company was taken out to 
drill after the examination. Colonel John- 
ston visited around the tents at 9:30 in 
the evening. He asked the men how they 
were getting along. Fine, of course! 
Sergts. Grymes, Ryder and Robinson left 
for Camp Meade today to take examina- 
tion for a commission. 



Jan. 15 — Rained hard. First aid equipment 
is issued. All our belongings were marked 
with our company number, etc. We re- 
ceived a dental inspection. Outgoing mail 
is stopped. We had the day off. 



Jan. 16 — Cold and Showers. The company 
is divided into platoons. The -1th Platoon 
is called the "Misfits." Lieut Windsor 
is attached to the company. Our Regi- 
mental Band arrived at Laurel today from 
Camp Meade. The company drilled. The 
mess is poor. 



Jan. 17 — Cold. Another medical examina- 
tion was held! At 6:00 P. M. our bag- 
gage car with ten men and Lieut. Safford 
aboard left for the port of embarkation. 
Another pack inspection was on the pro- 
gramme today. We remained packed up 
after it was over. The company partook 
of a mighty slim mess with company "L" 
in the evening. At 9:00 o'clock Lieut. 
Hampton came around and told the men 
to unpack and make themselves com- 
fortable. 



Jan. 18 — Snow. Terribly cold. We received 
our pay today; it sure was welcome. We 
also stood another pack inspection. It 
was decided the short pack should be 
made. We ate dinner in our old mess 
hall, served by company "E." It was 
very good. 



Jan. 19 — Cold. We drilled in the morn- 
ing and then had tv\o medical inspections. 
A platoon review was held before Majoi 
Stickney and Col. Johnson — the review 
was punk — the reason was because \v'c 
had to stand and wait in the cold until 
our feet and hands were almost frozen. 



Jan. 20 — Snow. The company drilled in the 
morning and was reviewed by Maj. Gen. 
Nickolson. We passed 0. K. The general 
said we were the best trained men he had 
reviewed so far. After the review we 
were issued ammunition, and Capt. Hack- 
ett made a little address. At 5:30 P. M. 
we boarded the train, consisting of 18 
cars with 55 men to the car. In the 
coaches, the blinds were drawn and no 
one was permitted to look out of the win- 



dows. Guards were also posted at the 
doors, in order to keep every one inside 
of that particular coach. In Baltimore 
the train stopped and we were fed. We 
were given a bunch of frozen tomatoes. 
News butchers bothered us and the Major 
took one basket from a fellow and threw 
it into the bay. After leaving Baltimore, 
the train was split in two sections, and 
traveled so, for the rest of the trip. 



ON THE BOAT 



Jan. 21 — Cold. We arrived in Jersey City 
in the early morning, and after standing 
around for some time, we went through 
the quarantine station. Then we stood 
around with our packs on for five hours 
and were not allowed to speak to a soul. 
At 11 :00 A. M. we boarded a special 
ferry, the Plainfield Ferry Boat at Pier 
No. 3, and were taken across to Hobo- 
ken. At 12:00 o'clock we boarded the 
U.S.S. Huron, formerly the Frederick de 
Grosse. The crew was camouflaging the 
ship. We were assigned to quarters in 
D.D. deck or Hell's Half Acre. We had 
a lot of trouble in finding the mess line. 



Jan. 22 — Cold and Snow. We loafed around 
the ship all day. The boys wrote letters 
home to be mailed upon our arrival in 
France. The ship is covered with snow 
and seems like a ghost. Coal, mail and 
baggage is being loaded on the boat. We 
had breakfast at 8:00 A. M. and supper 
at 2:00 P. M. and were ordered below at 
7:00 P. M. 



Jan. 23 — Cloudy and Cold. Capt. Hackett 
gave the boys a Victrola, it was a pres- 
ent from his wife to the company. We 
are getting only two meals a day. Every- 
one is taking life comparatively easy. 
The following details were made out: (1) 
Fire control. (2) Submarine watch. (3) 
Engine room detail. (4) Cook detail. 
(5) Carpenter detail. (6) Plumber de- 
tail. (7) Steam watch. At 4:30 a tug 
towed us down into the bay, where we 
dropped anchor at 5:30 P. M. We passed 
the "Statue of Liberty" just at sunset, 
it was a beautiful sight. The convoy was 
made up and came to anchor in the South 
Bay, all men were ordered below, no one 
being permitted above after dark. 



Jan. 24— Cold. "They are off." At 2:00 
A. M. the convoy was in formation and 
started the voyage with the U. S. Man-of- 
War North Carolina escorting us. The 
transports Tenadora, Mallery, Henderson 
and the Huron made up the convoy. 



20 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



Jan. 25 — Cold. We are making 12.5 knots 
per hour. The boys had a heated inter- 
state argument to pass the time. We 
also had an "Abandon Ship" drill. Little 
"Mac" is the first victim to sea-sickness. 
We sighted a school of porpoise. Some 
one thought they were submarines. The 
ocean is smooth. 



Jan. 26 — The sea is very rough. All the 
tables were upset and the mess was spilt 
all over the floor. The boys had a song 
festival and played the Victrola. Our 
company goes on guard, furnishing 106 
men. All matches, flash lights, candles, 
etc., are taken away from us. We are 
even forbidden to wear watches with il- 
luminating dials on deck at night. 



Jan. 27 — The sea is rough. We passed our 
first ship and Murphy yelled out, "Strange 
ship in the offing." The convey scattered 
and the cruiser challenged the strange 
ship. We had a fire drill at 2:00 P. M. 
Chicken was served for dinner. 



Jan. 28 — Rain in the morning. We sighted 
another school of porpoise, it is very in- 
teresting to watch them playing about. 
The ship receives an S. O. S. from a sink- 
ing ship. We passed an oil tanker in the 
morning. Sergt. Knauf collects all the 
U. S. collar buttons. Last night we 
passed the U.S.S. Texas, headed towards 
the States. We also saw a school of fly- 
ing fish. The company is still on guard. 
Rough weather. 



Jan. 29— Terribly Stormy. Cold. At 2:00 
P. M. the ship gave a list and everything 
went flying in every direction. Oranges 
were served with our mess. 



Jan. 30 — The ocean is rough. The ships are 
sailing in zig-zag course. We had an- 
other boat drill. It rained a little and is 
cold. 

Jan. 31 — Showers of rain. The weather is 
swell and the water smooth. Another 
boat drill was called. Lieut. Kern gives 
us a lecture on "French Women." 



Feb. 1 — Weather is fine. We passed a trans- 
port bound towards the States. The pay 
roll was signed again. Our convoy misses 
the toiijedo boat convoy. We are ordered 
to .sleep with our clothes on, and a life 
belt and canteen of water handy. 

Feb. 2 — The weather was stormy in the 
afternoon. We sighted a tramp steamer, 
which our cruiser immediately challenged. 
Another boat drill was given. Today we 
enter the "Danger Zone." The convoy 



is running slow. We receive a wireless 
of a sinking English ship. We spent a 
pleasant Ground Hog Day. 



Feb. 3 — Terribly stormy. It is pretty tough 
living down in Hell's Half Acre. The ship 
is circling around and around, waiting 
for the convoy. We passed a torpedo 
that had failed to hit its mark. Ham was 
served for dinner, it sure was good. 



Feb. 4 — Clear and Windy. We sighted our 
convoy of eight torpedo boats at 6:30 
A. M. The cruiser North Carolma left 
us at 9:00 A. M. bound back to the 
States. The boys cheei'ed her as she 
passed. 



Feb. 5t — Weather fine. Two Hun sub- 
marines were sighted by the Naval Com- 
mander at daybreak. He expected us to 
be torpedoed. Land was sighted at 8:22 
A. M. Everybody is happy. In the har- 
bor we saw two French submarines, they 
are wicked looking things. We anchored 
in the outer bay, and almost immediately 
the boat was surrounded by little boats 
containing mademoiselles who were look- 
ing for surplus change. The French Har- 
bor Authorities came aboard the ship and 
also some Q. M. coons. 



Feb. 6 — Fair and Mild. We were towed into 
the inner harbor of Brest this morning. 
More negroes came aboard to unload us. 
We are ordered to pack up and be pre- 
pared to land. The French Officials came 
aboard again. A detail of men is sent 
ashore to look after our baggage. A 
heavy fog rose in the early evening. 



FRANCE 



Feb. 7 — Rain. The company landed at 8:00 
A. M. The first thing we saw was 
a Ford automobile. We immediately 
marched to the railroad station. On the 
March the French kids would run along 
side of us and ask for cigarettes. At 
2:00 P. M. we left Brest for St. Nazaire. 
On the train enroute we saw our first 
German prisoners and made our acquaint- 
ance with a beverage known as Vin Blanc. 



Feb. 8 — Cloudy and Showers. We traveled 
all night, arriving at St. Nazaire at 5 :30 
A. M. Before having breakfast we 
marched three miles to Base Camp No. 1. 
There we had fairly good barracks to 
sleep in and were fixed up with some- 
thing to eat. We were ordered to stay in 
the barracks on account of Negro troub- 
les. One sergeant and nineteen men were 
ordered to sleep with their clothes on. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



21 



and everybody was to have arms and am- 
munition ready for instant use. We hear 
news of the Tuscania being sunk. The 
Y. M. C. A. gives us a reception. Hot 
chocolate is issued and the 15th Infantry 
Band (Colored) gives an entertamment. 



Rumors say that we are to move about 
the 20th of the month. 



Feb. 9 — Cold. We were drilled and later 
stood inspection. Most of the rilies are 
in bad shape owing to the salt air and 
water. Capt. Hackett then delivei-ed his 
address on "Wild Women." We are is- 
sued seven feet of grass rope to a man 
for bedding. 



Feb. 10— Clear and Cool. We had a bat- 
talion review in the afternoon. It was 
very poor. At the Y. M. C. A. we 
changed our American money into French 
bills. The first dirigible we have seen, a 
French one, sailed over camp today. All 
ammunition is collected from the men. 
Our baseball team does a little practice 
work. Lieut. Saft'ord and Lieut. Kern 
take part of the company over to a neigh- 
boring town. Four men to a bottle of 
beer. 



Feb. 11— Cloudy and Cold. The following 
details were sent out: (1) To work on a 
dam for a reservoir that was being built 
at the camp. (2) To Montoir and vicin- 
ity to work on the roads. The "Y" gave 
an entertainment in the evening. 



Feb. 12 — Cloudy and Cool. Today we moved 
the whole outfit from one barracks to 
another several times. At formation, 
structural steel workers were asked to 
step forward, — they did, and were put to 
work unloading cars of steel. Our amuse- 
ments in St. Nazaire consisted of being 
sent to town to bathe and look around a 
bit, hikes around the vicinity and such 
amusement as the "Y" put on. One pic- 
ture we saw showed the "Goddess of 
Liberty" and it faded and a doughboy 
took her place. About that time some in 
the 2.Srd shouted, "Where's her pick and 
shovel ?" 



Feb. 13 — Cool. A detail of 100 men were 
sent in trucks to Montoir to work in the 
freight yards, under the 17th Engineers. 
We have a carpenter detail. A detail is 
unloading steel rails at Montoir. 



Feb. 14— Cloudy and Cold. The same de- 
tails as yesterday are working. Our men 
made a record building a stone kitchen. 
Two hundred Ford ambulances passed 
through camp on their way to the Front. 



Feb. 15 — Cloudy and Cold. No work was 
done today. The company has a general 
clean-up. The L. D. is that we move 
tomorrow. 



Feb. 16 — Freezing. A detachment of men 
went to St. Nazaire to bathe. A detail 
in charge of Sylvester is repairmg the 
roofs of the barracks. Murphy's detail 
building a stone kitchen. 



Feb. 17 — Fair and Cold. The ground is 
frozen. The "Y" puts on an entertain- 
ment. Capt. Hackett gives us a little 
talk. Lieut. Safl'ord takes a bunch for 
a hike to a small town near camp. Lieut. 
Hampton, the man who practically or- 
ganized our company, is transferred to 
Company "B." All the boys hate to see 
him go, as we lost a MAN and a friend. 



Feb. 18— Fair and Cold. More of the boys 
went to town and took a French bath. 
We were drilled for part of the day. Hart 
stages a little excitement. Our A. E. F. 
tags are numbered. 



Feb. 19 — Fair and Cool. Three days iron 
ration are issued. We stood reveille ■ by 
starlight. The company went through 
the drills this morniny'. Many celebrate. 



THE TOUl FRONT 



Feb. 20 — Cool. This jnorning we were re- 
issued our ammunition and sent out to 
drill. In the evening we marched to St. 
Nazaire and at 6:00 P. M. boarded the 
train which pulled out of the yards at 
8:00 P. M. On the way to the train 
Company "A" met a certain French Ma- 
demoiselle whom we will all remember. 
It is very crowded on the train, one squad 
to a section. 



Feb. 21 — Drizzly rain. On the train we 
passed the following places: Montrchard, 
where were Cliff' Dwellers; Bourre, St. 
Aignan Tours. At Tours our train stopped 
alongside of another train of Eng- 
lish Tommies bound for Egypt. A simple 
lot. We also saw some French refugees 
here. Hot cofi'e, N. G., was served us here. 



Feb. 22 — Showers and Cold. We passed 
through Dijon, where women are running 
the street cars. Beaucoupe grapes and 
hops are grown in this section of the 
country. We then proceeded to Jean de 
Home, where we had more coffee. We 



22 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



had supper in the train at Is-sur-tille 
about 7 :00 P. M. 



Feb. 23 — Cloudy. Traveling all night, we 
arrived in Toul at 4:00 A. M. Here we 
saw the first signs of active warfare, 
thousands of French soldiers were com- 
ing in from the Front. After receivin;.', 
some bad coffee from the French soldiers 
we left Toul at 11:30 A. M. Our train 
stopped a couple of miles from Menil-la- 
Tour and we marched through the mud 
and slush to the town. We stopped in town 
for some time — standing around with our 
packs on. We were issued our first gov- 
ernment tobacco — it was old reliable Bull 
Durham. Everybody was excited and 
anxious to be moving, for we had seen 
our first barb-wire entanglements and 
could hear the guns roaring not far ahead 
of us, and all wanted to see more of the 
interesting sights we had read and heard 
about. The company was split into 
bunches of 24 men and we started to 
march to Camp Burley. On the way the 
M. P.'s halted us and wanted to know 
where our gas masks and steel helmets 
were. We didn't have any. We pro- 
ceeded, however, and arrived at Camp 
Burley at 6:00 P. M., where it was evei-y- 
body for themselves. We were issued 
canned-heat and cooked our own suppers 
of red horse, tomatoes and hard tack. 
Some of the fellows thought the canned- 
heat was good and began to eat it. That 
night the fellows slept in the mud, on 
manure piles or anywhere they could 
crawl. The rats were thick and especially 
disturbed some fellows who tried to .sleep 
in an old horse stable. After we were in 
bed. the call was given for volunteers to 
stand guard, 110 men were posted around 
camp with Special Orders "to shoot under 
no circumstances." French gas masks 
were issued that evening. Camp Burley is 
three kilometers from Beaumont or the 
Front. It is the place where Napoleon 
rejoined his army. 



use. Sergt. Kern took the 1st and 5th 
Platoons on a search expedition to the 
Hermitage. 



Feb. 24 — Cool. We have our first gas mask 
drill. Lieut. Saftord said, "If you hear 
anything go 'pouft'' put on your ma-sk." 
A detail is set to work to build ban-acks. 
We had steak for supper and it sure went 
good. 



Feb. 25— Cloudy and Cool. Steel helmets 
were issued. (Mitchell made some se- 
rious introductory remarks before issu- 
ing them.) Our barrack bags are brought 
u]) to us. A detail of 50 men was sent to 
Menil-la-Tour to assemble wagons for our 



Feb. 26 — Fair and Freezing. Work is 
started on the Menil-la-Tour postoffice 
road. Sergt. Ryder remarks to a Major, 
"The only trouble I have in building roads 
is getting the men to do as I tell them." 
The detail assembling wagons is at work. 
Today we saw our first air battle. The 
guards were taken from around camp and 
the 1st Platoon moved to the Hermitage. 



Feb. 27 — Showers and Cool. All details are 
out to work. We heard our first barrage 
last night, it was laid down by the Hun. 
A detail is building an office for the Top 
Sergeant. Stoves are installed in one of 
the barracks. Material for the other bar- 
racks is being brought to camp. A de- 
tail was sent to Mandres Quarry, a shell 
burst about 200 yards from them. An- 
other detail is digging a well for water 
in camp. 



Feb. 28 — Showers. We have a detail work- 
ing in charge of Capt. Crotty, which after 
working hard all morning, was allowed 
only 20 minutes for noon. In the evening 
we stood in line for mess so long that 
the boys gave up in disgust and went to 
bed without supper. Sergt. Kern is de- 
tailed to watch the mess line to prevent 
a riot. Many of the boys are sick and 
no medical aid is given. The boys steal 
food from the kitchen to give to their 
sick buddies. 



March 1 — Snowed all night. Heavy shelling 
during the night. The Mandres Quarry 
detail went to work in groups of four 
men, all fully armed. The Huns have 
been shelling around all day, our batteries 
answering the fire. We saw eight dead 
doughboys on the church steps at Man- 
dres, our first escape. The 1st Platoon 
has taken over the Royaumeix Quarry. 
A detail is sent to Menil-la-Tour to scrape 
the mud oft' the road. Fifty men were on 
sick call this morning. 



March 2 — Snow. Today we were issued 
English gas masks. Half of the company 
is sick. Our first mail, a half dozen let- 
ters, arrives. The grub is bad as usual. 
The detail in the Quari-y is so cold that 
they can hardly work. We have a detail 
building barracks for the 1st Engineers. 
A detail is sent to Sanzey to scrape snow 
from the roads. All the sick are made 
to work in the snow and rain on the 1st 
Engineers barracks. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



28 



March 3 — Sunday — Cold and snow. A de- 
tail moved to Gerard Sas in wagons; it 
was cold riding. The camp is full of mud 
and water. Cooties are discovered in the 
Hermitage. Part of the company gets 
a day off. New troops are commg in. 
There was heavy shelling all night. We 
are assigned to barracks and Dunks. No 
details were out today. 



March 4 — Snow and Cold. We had our 
breakfast in a snow storm this morning. 
Details were sent to Menil-la-Tour and 
Mandres Quarry. Lieut. Sleight leaves 
the company. We had the best supper 
this evening since leaving Camp Meade. 



March 5 — Snow. Our first air raid was ex- 
perienced last night. At 8:00 P. M. all 
lights were out. Several G. I. cans were 
dropped at Royaumeix. There are no 
dug-outs near camp. The sector is offi- 
cially taken over by American troops. 
Henderson leaves for the hospital with 
the first case of mumps. Our first real 
mail came in today. The boys' ideas as 
when the war will end range from 40 
days to 7 years. 



March 6 — Rain. We see a Hun plane shot 
down. We had boiled spuds for the 28th 
consecutive meal. Rumors of signing the 
pay roll and being paid are heard. 



March 7 — Cloudy. Signs of home-sickness 
appear among the boys. Mail is received. 
We have a detail unloading three rock 
crushers at Menil-la-Tour. They are to 
be used in Royaumeix Quarry. Hun 
planes come over again and drop six 
bombs. 



March 8 — Fair and Mild. McCreedy has 
the second case of mumps. A detail is 
setting up machinery in the quarry. A 
detail was sent to the freight yards to 
unload cars of material. First call now 
sounds at 5:1.5 A. M. and we work until 
4:30 P. M. Hun planes wei'e over again. 



March 9 — Clear Day. The clocks were 
turned back one hour today. Some 2nd 
class mail is received. We were issued 
rubber sheets. Half of the company was 
off today. We had another air raid. 



March 10 — Fine Day. One of our details 
took a long walk looking for work. The 
grub is rotten. We see and use our first 
duck boards, building walks around camp 
with them. 



March 11— Fair and Cool. Shelling has 
been heavy today. The doughboys went 



over to Boche's second line trenches to- 
day. The company was issued two packs 
of Camel cigarettes and two packs of Bull 
Durham apiece. All the sick have to go 
before the Captain before reporting to the 
doctor. The anti-aircraft guns brought 
down a Hun machine today. 



March 12 — Fair and Cool. Mail is received. 
Corp. Hopkins is made acting Top Ser- 
geant. Pie at the "Sal," it did not last 
long. We were issued two cigars per man 
today. Hun planes were overhead. 



March 13 — Fair and Cool. Today we used 
our first powder for blasting in the Quar- 
ry. It was a fizzle. Mandres Quarry 
was shelled today, the shells landed about 
40 yards from the men. 

March 14 — Terribly Cold. The men have 
to break ice to get water to wash with. 
Mandres Quarry detail made a run for 
the dug-outs this morning. They were 
shelled again at noon time. The company 
received apples sent over by the Oregon 
State Soldiers' Fund. They were cer- 
tainly fine. A detail is out at Menil-la- 
Tour unloading steam engines for the 
crushers in the quarry. 



March 15 — Fair and Mild. The Gerard Sas 
detail, the 4th Platoon, returns to Camp 
Burley. Anti-aircraft guns fired at planes 
over the quarry and drove them off. The 
engines and crushers are set up in the 
quai-ry. Lieut. Safford said they must 
be ready to operate by tomorrow night. 
It was a day off for part of the company. 



March 16— Fair and Mild. One-fifth of the 
company gets Sunday off; this means a 
holiday for a man every five weeks. The 
crusher is started in the quarry. The 
Archies are busy all day long. No pay, 
all the fellows are broke. A detail was 
sent to work in Boucq Quarry. 



March 17— Sunday— Clear. It is St. Pa- 
trick's Day. The two Murphys have a 
fine time. The company stood inspection. 
We are issued spiral leggings. Mail is 
received. A song festival is held at the 
Hermitage. All men are required to have 
passes to be able to go anywhere. Secre- 
tary Baker is making a tour of the Front, 
he passed by us today. Clark and Caine 
give an exhibition. 



March 18 — Clear and Warm. We were 
ready to go to the trenches after the 
company had worked hard all day. There 
are air bnttles galore. We are permitted 
to write three letters a week. 



24 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



March 19 — Cloudy and Rain. General 
Pershing and Secretary Baker passed 
through today. Details were sent to the 
De L'Etoille Road and the Royaumeix 
Quarry. We had a medical and foot in- 
spection. 



them hell for not keeping the doors and 
windows open. 



March 20 — Rain and Cold all day. The gas 
alarm was sounded, it sure scared the 
company. The boys at the Hermitage 
.slept through the noise. Lieut. Safford 
lectures the boys for quitting early. He 
makes the boys sore and a fool of him- 
self. Major Stickney visited the quarry. 
Mail is received. 

March 21 — Fair and Mild. A battery was 
blown up on the De L'Etoille Road. Some 
of the boys took their first bath since 
we've been here. Orders are received to 
pack haversacks and go to the 3rd line 
trenches. We did not have to go, how- 
ever. 

March 22 — Cloudy and Rain. Rumors say 
that a German drive is expected in this 
sector. We are building a scrapper trap 
for loading wagons in the quarry. Eight 
truck drivers report to Company "A" for 
duty. 



March 23 — Clear and Cold. We receive a 
report of a Hun advance on a 50-mile 
front near Cambrai. We have trouble in 
the mess line. When do we eat? We 
have trouble with Lieut. Safford about the 
mess. He said we were getting better 
grub than we got at home! Ryder reads 
us an article on "How to Act with a Gas 
Mask On." 



March 24, Sunday — Cloudy and Cold. We 
kick about the grub. We turned in our 
mess kits. It is Palm Sunday. Big Ber- 
tha shelled Paris. Fifty men have the day 
off. Raynor goes to Nice, to the R. 0. 
T. C. We receive a promise of better 
grub. We see an air battle overhead. One 
Hun was brought down. 



March 25— Snow and Cold. The Y. M. C. A. 
tent is nearly finished. We have a gas 
mask drill. It is a famihar sight to see 
an old lady plowing with one horse and 
one cow hitched to the plow. Maj. Gen. 
Bullock inspected our camp. We sign the 
pay-roll. 



March 26 — Snow and Cold. Mail is received. 
We have a gas chamber drill in the bath 
house. A Lieutenant Colonel in the Med- 
ical Corps visited the Hermitage and gave 



March 27— Cool. The Y. M. C. A. and the 
bath house ready for business. Ainser- 
ville was heavily shelled. Details were 
out to the De L'Etoille Road and the Roy- 
aumeix Quarry. 



March 28 — Clear, Cool and Windy. Some 
German prisoners were marched through. 
Mandres Quarry was shelled. T. T. dove 
into the dug-out and bumped his head on 
a rafter, fell and groaned, '"They got me!" 
He only skinned his knees. A big barrage 
was on all night. Beaucoupe star shells. 



March 29 — Clear and Cold. Pay-day. Re- 
ports say the Austrians have relieved the 
German artillery. It rained this after- 
noon. Doughboys went over in a raid last 
night with their faces all blackened. They 
brought back five prisoners. 



March 30 — Rain. There was heavy artillery 
action this morning. Lieut. Kern fell off 
his horse, landed on his helmet, does noth- 
ing but skin his no-se. Our cat donated a 
squad of kittens to the company. The 
government commissary is doing big busi- 
ness, so is our "Y". Frank Donovan left 
for the R. 0. T. C. 



March 31 — Rain. It is Easter Sunday. The 
men get a half day oft'. Our menu for 
dinner: Potatoes, washed and no skins; 
Turkey, Dressing ; Cranberry Sauce ; 
Bread Pudding with Hair; Bread and Cof- 
fee. The turkey's complexion was poor 
and he looked kind of discouraged. Many 
of the boys celebrated the event. Kinsler 
gets hit on the dome with a sledge ham- 
mer at the quarry. Pumpkin pie and cof- 
fee was to be had at the "Sal." The 
102nd Infantry is going in the lines. 



April 1 — Rain and Cold. The boys in the 
Mandres Quarry got a dose of gas today. 
Capt. Hackett and Lieut. Safford leave. 
Lieut. Davy takes command of the com- 
pany. The First Division moves out of 
the sector and is replaced by the 26th 
Division. We are attached to the 26th 
Division. A Red Cross ambulance takes 
five of our men almost into No Man's 
Land before it is stopped by a sentry. 



April 2 — Rain all day. Gen. Foch takes com- 
mand of the Allied Armies. There has 
been heavy artillery action all day. Lieut. 
Estelle is assigned to the company. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



25 



April 3 — Rain. Mandres Quarry is shelled 
again. T. T. jumps the length of a dug- 
out about 15 feet long with 3 feet of 
water in it, landing in the end of the dug- 
out without a drop of water on him. 
Lieut. Kern inspects rifles and gas masks 
at noon in the quarry. 



April 4 — Rain all day. Mandres Quarry is 
discontinued on account of it being shelled 
too much. The roads were crowded all 
day with troops and supplies going to the 
front. The Hermitage gets up a song fes- 
tival. 



April 5 — Cloudy. Rumors say that the Aus- 
trians have taken over the heavy artil- 
lery. There has been heavy shelling all 
day. Three sacks of mail are received. 
Hun planes come over. Plenty of Hun 
balloons are up today. 



April 6— Cloudy and Cold. The 1st Platoon 
moves back to Burley (across the road). 
Coates' office is installed. Some of the 
boys were refused breakfast because they 
were a few minutes late. War was de- 
clared one year ago. 



April 1- — Showers. The gas alai-m sounded 
at 4:00 A. M. and again at 8:00 A. M. 
The De L'Etoille Road was shelled at 4:00 
P. M. Ainserville was also shelled and 
Mandres was gassed. Bergman was 
caught without a gas mask, and Pitman 
came to the rescue. A detail of Signal 
Corps men are working for us on the 
Sanxey Road. 



April 8 — Rain and Cold. The road at Aun- 
serville and the De L'Etoille Road were 
shelled. Lieut. Windsor was hit by shell 
fragments. Inspection and a half-hour 
drill was given to the fellows off duty. 
The feed is bum. 



April 9 — Cold and Cloudy. A heavy barrage 
last night. Brown gets out of the kitchen. 
Bleekman is the water boy for the Royau- 
meix Quarry. 



April 10 — Cold and Cloudy. A sergeant who 
was asking a lot too many questions near 
Hamonville was picked up and found to 
be a spy. A heavy barrage shook up 
Camp Burley last evening. We had an- 
other gas drill, we double timed up and 
down the road with our masks on. Fleas 
are thick in the 1st Platoon barracks. 



April 11 — Clear and Warm. Eleven Ameri- 
can planes went over the line this morn- 
ing. We received a "gas alert." Break- 



fast is getting monotonous with hash, 
bread and bad coffee. Lots of big guns 
and men are coming in. 



April 12 — Fair and Hot. Mail is received. 
An American aviator does great stunts in 
the air. Heavy artillery fire is going on. 
A detail is fixing up the bath house. We 
saw movies in the "Y". 



April 13 — Clear and Cold. A truck load of 
rock was taken up to the front in broad 
daylight. An M. P. tried to order them 
back, but they kept on going, for "orders 
are orders." The men left the truck, how- 
ever, as they were under plain observa- 
tion of Hun balloons. Living conditions 
are getting better in camp. We can now 
buy grub at the commissary. There is 
much artillery fire, the shells landing very 
close to our details. An American avia- 
tor does some stunts. The "Sal" at Menil- 
la-Tour opens up, they sell pie, coffee and 
candy. 



April 14 — Clear and Cool. We have the day 
off. We stood inspection at 9:00 A. M., 
and after that we had a gas mask drill. 
Three Hun machines were downed at Toul 
by two of our pilots. 



April 15 — Rain. Our details worked all day 
in a heavy rain. Some of the men swiped 
gas coats from the supply yards. They 
are all right as dust cloaks. Mandres 
was shelled today. About 50 shells, high 
explosive and gas, were thrown over in a 
minute. Bob Gray drives his truck into 
the ditch. 



April 16 — Rain. We receive mail and are 
paid. Details to Royaumeix Quarry, San- 
zey and De L'Etoille Roads. A bunch of 
men returned from the hospital. 



April 17 — Cloudy and Rain. Movies were 
shown at the "Y". . A battery of 9.7's are 
moved in behind us. Seventeen pair of 
gloves were issued among the men of the 
company. A heavy barrage this morning. 



April 18 — Thick Fog. Mail is received. 
Everything was quiet during the day. De- 
tails were sent to the Quarry and on the 
roads. A detail was ordered to headquar- 
ters to get a road roller. 



April 19 — Clear and Cold. Ayres is cooking 
for the De L'Etolle Road detail. The grub 
is fine. The 3rd and 4th Platoons are to 
move to Leonval, Camp Wilson. Hungry 
and Stack celebrate. It is sunny but very 
cold. A barrage and a gas attack were 



26 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



pulled off last night. Several Boche planes 
were over. 



April 20 — Cold. Two gas alarms were 
sounded last night, both around 4:00 
A. M. This morning the Boches came over 
and drove the Americans back. Heavy 
artillery fire all day. The battle of 
Seicheprey is fought. Troops and ambu- 
lances fill the roads. Sergt. Kern is made 
a lieutenant. The 3rd and 4th Platoons 
move to Leonval. Tearing down the bar- 
racks at Burley and moving them to the 
Hermitage, or Camp Snelling. Upon our 
return from work this evening, we were 
told we were being held in the reserve. 
We had inspection and were told to stand 
by to go to the trenches. We got credit 
in some Philadelphia papers for saving the 
day. Germans thought we were a new 
Division coming to the aid of the 26th. 
Those Irish didn't need any aid. 



April 21 — Rain. All is quiet. The Huns 
were thrown back into their own trenches. 
No damage was done to the roads to 
amount to much. The Salvation Army 
Hut in Mandres was hit several times, 
and moved into new quarters, in a cellar 
that was formerly used for storing wine. 
(This "Sal" holds the record for making 
hot cakes — 8,000 in 24 hours.) It is a 
day off for the men, but we are not al- 
lowed to leave camp. Two French Boy 
Scouts were picked up by one of the ser- 
geants and lieutenants as spies. They 
were let off when it was found out what 
they were. We moved the "Y" tent to 
our new camp site. 



April 22 — Rain. We moved to Camp Snell- 
ing. Two cemeteries and a balloon sta- 
tion are right behind our camp. Details 
were sent to the quarry. We must load 
our wheelbarrows to the limit, by order 
of Sergt. Coates. Mike came back to the 
company after a long absence. 

April 23 — Rain. All details took their en- 
tire equipment to work with them in or- 
der to have it on their arrival at the new 
camp in the evening. The 1st Platoon 
slept in the "Y" tent at the new camp. 
Mail is received. 

April 24— Rained all day. The "Y" tent is 
being used to sleep in while we erect the 
barracks. Jewish bread was issued to- 
day ; Abe, Bergman and Kaufman are in 
their glory. A detail took down the 
Wagon Company's barracks to get lumber. 



April 25 — Rain. This evening we moved into 
the barracks, sleeping on the floor. A de- 
tail is working on the officers' quarters. 
The mess is getting better, due to a 
change in the mess sergeants. 



April 26 — Rain. We are building bunks in 
the barracks. The bath house has also 
been set up and is working. The mess 
hall, officers' quarters and one of the bar- 
racks are completed. We sign the pay- 
roll. 



April 27 — Fair day. We have a detail 
hauling rock and repairing Dead Man's 
Curve. Baseball practice begins today. 
We have the makings of a fine ball 
ground. 



April 28, Sunday — Rain. The entire com- 
pany is put on camp detail, working 
around the barracks cleaning up, etc. We 
are setting up a hospital tent and build- 
ing stables for our horses. A heavy bar- 
rage was in progress most of the night. 



April 29 — Rain. Lots of Allied planes are 
in the air. The piano arrives for the 
"Y," we also have our Victrola in the "Y." 
Our detail is still working on Dead Man's 
Curve. Mail is received. We are build- 
ing a road around the barracks to get to 
the kifchen and the bath house. 



April 30 — Cloudy. Mr. and Mrs. Ruthers- 
ford entertain us at the "Y". Our doctor 
said, "Company 'A' needs a bath." The 
kitchen was finished today. 



May 1 — Rain. We had French toast for 
breakast. It went fine. Details are still 
working on the new barracks. One ser- 
geant and three corporals are made today. 



May 2 — Clear and Hot. Part of the camp 
detail goes back to work in the Royau- 
meix Quarry. The baseball supplies came 
today. 



May 3 — Clear and Hot. A smoker between 
Company "A", 23rd Engineers, and Com- 
pany "K", 161st Infantry, is held. At 
noon we had a gas mask drill in the 
quarry. A detail is working on the water 
tank for the bath house. A baseball game 
was played this evening and Bishop Ed- 
wards gave a talk on "America's Part in 
the War." 



May 4 — Fair and Warm. A party was pulled 
off at Royaumeix. Campbell and Keye 
stage a real birthday party. A detail 
goes to do work at the hospital, in charge 
of Sergt. Johnson. 



i 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



27 



May 5 — Rained. U. S. aeroplanes are here 
at last. Our first real game of ball was 
played between Company "A" and Com- 
pany "K", 161st Infantry. The score was 
10-9 in our favor. We won beaucoup 
francs on the game. In the morning we 
stood inspection. Pie was served for din- 
ner. It hit the right spot. 



May 6 — Hot all day. Rain in the evening. 
We have gas drill every day at noon in 
the quarry, double timing for about 200 
yards with our masks on. A detail was 
ordered to Lagny to guard some negroes 
at Battalion Headquarters. 



May 7 — Cloudy. The battery of 9.7's were 
fired for the first time. They shake up 
everything. We played a game of ball, 
102d Ambulance Co., 5; Company "A", 6. 
A big electrical storm in the evening. 



May 8 — Cloudy. Part of Company "B" joins 
us. Another smoker with Company "K" 
was held. Sergt. Gross knocked out 
Stuart, of 23rd Headquarters. It was an 
exciting match. A good supper was served 
this evening. 



May 9 — Rain. Company "B" sends ten 
squads to live with us at Snelling. A de- 
tail is repairing the road from the quarry 
to the main road. 



May 10 — Rain. We had to stop work in the 
quarry on account of a thunder storm. 
Cooper and McKee stage a little excite- 
ment. 



May 11 — Rain. We are trying to work 
Company "B". Details are out on the 
different roads and in the quarry. 



May 12, Synday — Rain off and on. We 
stood inspection at 9:00 A. M. A ball 
game was played. Company "K", 9; Com- 
pany "A", 3. Sergt. Gross sure gets his 
in a boxing match. A Mother's Day serv- 
ice was held in the "Y". Everybody 
writes home. Wrestling and boxing by 
Company "K", 161st Infantry, at the rail- 
road tracks. 



May 13— Fair Day. Company "B" sent a 
detail to the quarry to work with us. 
They would not work. They believe col- 
lege graduates should not do manual 
labor. We have red horse and rice pud- 
ding- for dinner. The usual gas drill, 
double timing, was held at .5:30 P. M. 
Many of our planes and baloons are up. 
Details are out on maintenance work. 



May 14 — Fair and Warm. A detail is sent 
to Rangeval. We have the gas chamber 
drill. A detail of 40 men from Company 
"B" are killing time in the quarry. Our 
menagerie is increasing. 



May 15 — Fair. Another ball game was 
played: Ambulance Company, 17; Com- 
pany "A", 9. Pay day. Details are in 
the Royaumeix Quarry and on the roads. 



May 16 — Warm. Details in the quarry and 
on the roads. Three planes were shot 
down today. Our camp was inspected by 
a Brigadier General. Four men are de- 
tailed to Truck Company No. 1 for spe- 
cial duty. 



May 17 — Clear. The hottest day so far. 
The quarry details suffer from the heat. 
They finally shed most of their clothes. 
Moving pictures were shown in the "Y". 
One plane was shot down. 



May 18 — Clear and Hot. We beat the Am- 
bulance Company in a ball game; the 
score was. Ambulance Company, 3; Com- 
pany "A", 10. Our Camp Wilson detail 
returns to Camp Snelling. The entire 
company is together again. 



May 19 — Sunday — Fair and Warm. "Y" 
girls (6) entertain the boys with music 
and dance. Movies were taken of their 
performance. No inspection this morn- 
ing. Two Hun planes were shot down. 
Maj. Luf berry was brought down. Three 
ball games were played on our field today. 
We lost our game; Company "A", 1; 51st 
Artillery, 5. Company "K" staged a bout 
exhibition. Our monthly divisional passes 
are given out. They are not much good, 
though. 



May 20 — Hot and Fair. A ball game on our 
field broke up in a fight. A concert was 
given by the 101st Infantry Band. An 
air battle was being fought overhead as 
the band played "My Hero." 



May 21 — Fair and Hot. Lieut. Trax is as- 
signed to Company "A". Mail is received. 
A band concert was given in the evening 
by the 101st Infantry Band. Seven planes 
were overhead doing stunts. Details were 
sent to the quarry and to patch up Dead 
Man's Curve. 



May 22 — Hot and Cloudy. Elsie Janis was 
at Camp Rehanne in the evening. A jazz 
band gives a perfoi-mance. A ball game 
was played; Company "K", 3; Company 
"A", 9. Jack Stevens, Master Engineer, 



28 



COMPANY "A" 23rd liXGIXEERS 



is attached to our company. He is wait- 
ing for a commission to come through. 



May 23 — Cold and Windy. The gas alarm 
sounded last night. Mail is received. Elsie 
Janis is at Menil-la-Tour. "Canned Willy" 
is assigned to Company "B." 



May 24 — Fair. Elsie Janis is at Sanzey this 
afternoon. The Sanzey detail went A. W. 
0. L. to see her. A detail left today for 
headquarters to finish one of "B" Com- 
pany's jobs. Our quarry detail dug up 
the remains of someone who had probably 
fought on some old battlefield near ]\Ienil- 
la-Tour. Some interesting souvenirs were 
found in the grave. A Frenchman enter- 
tained us with magic tricks. 



May 25 — We begin work on the "Davy Stad- 
ium." also on a tennis court. Movies were 
shown at the "Y". Elsie Janis is at 
Rovaumeix todav. Her shows are fine. 
She sang "Kaiser Bill". A detail of 80 
men is sent to Rangeval. A detail is on 
maintenance work at Menil-la-Tour. 



May 26 — Sunday — Fair. A ball game is 
plaved between Abe Goldstein's "Dirty 
Sox" and Ellington's "Old Man Team." 
The "Dirty Sox" won the game with a 
score of 9 to 8. The casualties during the 
game were: Allman, Damon, Shoemaker, 
Goldstein. The fire-eater from Company 
"K" got burned while doing his stunt. He 
is off it for life. We stood inspection of 
rifle and gas masks. The gas alarm sound- 
ed at 2 :00 A. M. last night. We wore the 
masks for an hour before relieved. A spe- 
cial train with about 100 men went to 
Sorcy to spend the day. 



May 27 — Cloudy and Cold. The gas alarm 
sounded at 5:30 A. M. and again we wore 
our masks for an hour. A heavy ban-age 
last night. All details were out to work. 
Details are laying stone in the depot at 
Menil-la-Tour. 



May 28 — Fair and Cold. Shells were burst- 
ing all around Burley this morning. Ledin 
painted a scene for the Stadium. We are 
now allowed to write four letters a week. 
Another gas alai-m was sounded last night. 



May 29 — Fair. We had a gas drill. An 
American aviator did some stunts over us. 
Lieut. Kern reads a proclamation from 
Gen. Pershing about the consei'^'ation of 
food. Stack is put on the P. C. for throw- 
ing away a crust of bread. 



day. Memorial Day Services were held in 
camp. Ex-Governor Lake gives a fine talk. 
Details were all called oft at 3:30 P. M. 
Beaucoupe mail is received. A ball game 
was played; Company "A", 6; Balloon 
Company, 2. Fahey has the band up early 
to accompany him on his morning detail. 
P. C. Two hundred picked men from the 
104th Infantry went over the top last 
night. They had their faces all black- 
ened. We are hauling rock for the "Sal". 
The 101st Band gave a concert at Re- 
hanne. We have a big detail re-surfacing 
the road from Menil-ia-Tour to Sanzey. 



May 31 — Clear. The raiding party from the 
104th Infantry returned to the line with 
20 Hun prisoners. Most of them were 
gassed on their way back. Mail is re- 
ceived. Details are on the roads and in 
the quarry. 



June 1 — Fair and Mild. Piece work is start- 
ed in the quarry. The men work harder 
but not as long in that manner. We only 
worked half a day in the quarry. An 
exciting air battle w'as staged overhead 
while we were standing inspection. A gas 
alert was sounded last night about 3:00 
A. ]\I. More Non Coms. are made. 



June 2— Fair and Mild. The 101st Band ar- 
rives at our camp. They are going to 
stay with us for some time. Misses Kem 
and Seller, two "Y" girls, put on a show 
at the Stadium. The progi-amme was in- 
terrupted by the Balloon Company shoot- 
ing at a Hun plane overhead. Reports .say 
that Capt. Hackett is to return to the 
company. Andy Manning and Bill Conroy, 
of the iOlst Band, entertain us of even- 
ings. They are "there." Indoor baseball 
is in full blast. We lost a game of ball 
today: Balloon Company, 13; Company 
"A", 12. 



June 3 — Fair and Mild. The band played at 
the hospital in the afternoon and at Snell- 
ing in the evening. The 9.7's behind us 
moved out today. There was some shell- 
ing around Mandres. The Hun machine 
called the Ghost was brought down at 
Toul. Another American brought down 
a Hun, who fell near Menil-la-Tour. Mov- 
ies were shown at the "Y". Dr. Pendil 
is attached to the company. 



May 30 — Fine Weather. Company "K", 
161st Infantry, moved out of Snelling to- 



June 4 — Fair and Mild. Capt. Hackett takes 
command of the company. An air battle 
is fought near camp. The Huns got away. 
Our plane sailed about 50 feet over us. 
The pilot waved his hand to us. We 
signed the pay-roll this evening. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



29 



June 5 — Cool. We held an Amateur night. 
There was a negro programme and one 
by the 101st Band. An excellent pie-eat- 
ing contest was held. The list tor the 
tennis tournament is made up ; 20 couples 
sign up. Billy Vv'hite gives an entertain- 
ment for us. The band boys continue to 
liven things up in the evening in the "Y" 
tent. 



June 6 — Fair and Cool. Lieut. Davy is in 
command of the company again. The 
three day fever is in vogue, about 60 of 
the men are down with it. Shorty White 
tries to entertain at the Stadium but is 
interrupted by Hun planes overhead. We 
have a detail working on a dug-out for 
the officers. 



June 7 — Fair and Mild. A big Hun barrage 
was thrown over at .5:30 A. M. The com- 
pany was drilled in the evening after re- 
turning from work. Lots of L. D. is float- 
ing around concerning a German drive to 
be pulled off here. Another gas alaiTn in- 
terrupted our sleep last night. 



June 8 — Cloudv and Warm. We had gas 
alarms at 1:40 and at 2:40 A. M. The 
band practices every morning. We stood 
inspection today. The boys are promised 
a half day off if they finish a certain job. 
We never got it. Rumors say that the 
Huns are concentrating opposite us. A 
detail of 20 men from the Coast Artillery 
was sent to the quarry to work with our 
boys at "Hard Labor Punishment." 



June 9 — Clear. A big barrage was thrown 
over by the Americans last night. The 
three day fever is increasing. The tennis 
tournament is started. Mail is received. 
A fine band concert was given in the even- 
ing. Our ball team was beaten again ; 
Bal'oon Company, 14; Company "A", 12. 
A South Boston Tea Party was pulled oft' 
by the Band boys, assisted by Bill Hoeft 
and others in the barracks. The boys are 
promised a half holiday, which never ma- 
terializes. Rumors say that we are to 
move. 



June 10 — Rain and Cold. Another barrage 
was heard this morning. We had a gas 
chamber drill. The Ordnance Department 
erected a try-out grounds at Royaumeix. 
The company is drilled. Our officers ex- 
pected to entertain some girls, but the 
girls did not show up. Raynor returns 
from the R. 0. T. C. 



June 11 — Clear and Cool. The band left us 
today. Raynor, Murphy and Lieut. Wind- 



sor leave for Rangeval. Lieut. Trax re- 
turns to the company. The gas alarm was 
sounded at 2:00 A. M. 



June 12 — Fair and Mild. The Huns shelled 
the roads this morning. All details worked 
today. The company was drilled in the 
evening. The band is at the Hermitage 
now. At 11 :40 P. M. a detail was sent 
out to repair the roads along the front. 



June 13 — Fair and Cool. The Huns dropped 
a few bombs near us last night. We had 
a concert and vaudeville show in the even- 
ing by the 101st Band. It was fine. We 
were issued summer underwear todav. 



June 14 — Clear and Hot. We had a gas 
alarm at 5:00 P. M. It queered a "Y" 
.show. The band gave a concert in the 
evening. Hot cakes were served for break- 
fast for the first time. The band boys 
pulled off' a Salvation Army stunt in the 
"Y". It was good. We drilled in the 
evening after work. 



June 1.5 — Ptain and Cool. Gas alarm sound- 
ed. Millar fires the bath house. Small 
announces it to the company. A ball game 
is played between the Non-Coms and the 
privates. The Bucks won the game. 



June 16 — Cloudy and Cold. The Huns throw 
over a barrage. We had three gas alarms 
during the night. Royaumeix, Boucq, 
Sanzey and other towns are shelled by 
Austrian railroad guns. Shells were also 
dropped in our camp. We were standing 
inspection in sight of seven or eight Hun 
balloons, while shells were singing over- 
head. Hun planes were overhead. The 
Battle of Xivray was fought today. The 
Americans were victorious. 



June 17 — Rain and Cold. Details are work- 
ing in the quarry and on the various 
roads. There was shelling near Royau- 
meix. The boys scattered in all direc- 
tions. 



June 18 — Cloudy and a little warmer. Ap- 
ple pie and Honest-to-God coffee at the 
"Sal". American planes were out today. 



June 19 — Showers, Cloudy and Cool. A big 
shell landing in camp woke the bunch up 
this morning. Another shell broke be- 
hind the cook shack, later two others fell 
in camp. One piece of shell went through 
the "Y" tent. The Austrian railroad guns 
were in action again. Royaumeix was 
shelled, killing 16 mules and wounding a 
Y. M. C. A. Secretary. Whittle lost his 



30 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



false teeth. We are working on the offi- 
cers' dug-out. 



aviators have bombed Toul three times 
since our aviators have left the sector. 



June 20 — Rain. There was heavy artillery 
action this morning. Our track team be- 
gins practicing for the Fourth of July 
contest at Sorcy. The Rangeval details 
return. The entire company is together 
now. The mess is poor. 



June 21 — Rain and Cold. Today is the long- 
est day of the year. Maj. Stickney visits 
camp. Mandres is shelled. Details still 
working on the officers' dug-out. 

June 22 — Rain in the morning. Cold. A 
bunch leaves for the rifle range. Part of 
the 82nd Division is moving into this sec- 
tor. It is some (?) bunch. Boche plane 
is over and drops a few bombs. Pay day. 



June 23 — Clear and Cold. German propa- 
ganda is dropped to us. A barrage last- 
ing from 4 :00 P. M. until 1 :30 A. M. was 
put over. We played ball today, score, 
55th Artillery, 5 ; Company "A", 8. Jones' 
brother, an aviator, visited him in camp. 
The Rangeval detail returns to Headquar- 
ters. A detail of 20 men sent to Menil-la- 
Tour to unload a train of rock. Powers 
is made company photographer. 



June 24 — Clear and Cold. All details were 
at work today. We had a formation for 
drill at 5:00 P. M. and later stood our 
first retreat. 

June 25 — Clear and Cool. The balloon close 
to camp goes up for the first time since 
the 19th. We have a gas chamber drill. 
The kitchen is issued dehydrated spuds. 
A detail is sent to Sanzey. 



June 26 — Cloudy and Cool. Maj. Stickney 
visits camp. Everybody is playing indoor 
baseball. A lot of French soldiers are 
coming in. The band gave its last concert 
tonight. It was very good. 



June 27— Clear and Cool. The 26th Division 
is moving out. The 82nd Division is re- 
placing them. They are drafted men and 
look like a bunch of misfits. The 5th Di- 
vision is on our right. We finished the 
Leonval Ammunition Dump Road. The 
Hun planes are over every day. 



June 28 — Cold and Fog. We receive mail. 
Ollie Snedygar is in charge of the "Y". A 
ball game is played between Truck Com- 
panies No. 1 and No. 2 for a stake of 
1,000 francs. No. 2 won. Ordnance De- 
partment leaves Royaumeix. The Hun 



June 29 — Clear and Cold. Mail is received. 
Hun planes are over all the time. A good 
detail went out to the Ammunition Dump, 
and another one went to Sanzey. 



June 30 — Fair and Mild. We had a try-out 
for Field Day at Sorcy. Mail comes in. 
The boys at Rangeval come over to take 
part in the try-outs. 



July 1 — Cloudy and Warm. Mr. Snedygar 
leaves us. We were sorry to see him go. 
We held another try-out. The first detail 
of 17 men goes through the delouser. Col. 
Conrad, Q. M. of 82nd Division, calls down 
a sergeant in charge of one of our details 
for not saluting. Can you beat it? Boche 
planes are over. 



July 2 — Fair and Warm. We sign the pay- 
roll. Three fellows entertain at the "Y". 
They were good. Try-out for candidates 
for the Sorcy meet was held. There is to 
be running and a tug-of-war. A detail is 
sent to Sanzey to resurface and reinforce 
the road. Flint, Lush, Anderson, L. L., 
and Wilkinson (Powers for substitute) 
make the relay team. A 1,000-franc pool 
is collected among the boys. 



July 3 — Cloudy and Cool. We had inspection 
today. Everybody drills, except the ath- 
letes, who have a day ofi^. The gas alarm 
sounded. Moving pictures were made of 
us operating the Royaumiex Quarry. 
Boys play indoor baseball. We sign the 
pay-roll. 



July 4 — Cold and Misty in the morning. The 
weather clears up in the afternoon. A big 
crowd goes to Sorcy. Sergt. Coates, in 
charge of the men, misses the train. Com- 
pany "A" won the Relay Race from the 
field, but lost the tug-of-war to Company 
"C". The 82nd Division turns in three 
gas alarms before midnight. The "Sal" 
had doughnuts and coffee. 



July 5 — A fine day. The details are all to 
the bad ; too much Fourth of July. We 
.saw moving pictures at the "Y". We had 
a gas alarm at 4:00 A. M. 



July 6 — Clear and Cool. Names were drawn 
for the first rest camp. Sooners — Dillard 
and others, sew on first service stripe. 
We had pumpkin pie. Beaucoupe mail is 
received. 

July 7 — Sunday — Cloudy. We had no in- 
spection today. A ball game was played, 
51st Artillery, 10; Company "A", 7. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



31 



July 8 — Rain and Cloudy. "Y" girls are 
brought to camp by Mr. Snedygar. An 
aeroplane sailing through the clouds made 
them part in such a manner as to form 
a figure 6. It was a wonderful sight. 



July 9 — Rained all day. Details were sent 
out to the roads and the quarry. 



July 10 — Cloudy. Some "Y" girls dine with 
the officers. We lost another ball game, 
21st Engineers, 3; Company "A", 2. A 
detail returns to camp to go to the rifle 
range, but are sent back to work instead. 



July 11 — Cloudy and Cool. Movies were 
shown at the "Y". Mail is received. Cor- 
respondence school is started (?) by the 
"Y". Shrapnel from the Archies falls in 
camp. 



July 12 — Fair and Warm. Snedygar brings 
entertainers called "The Jolly Fellows". 
We drilled in the evening, in charge of 
Lieut. Trax. Our cat presented the com- 
pany with one squad and a sergeant (Cat 
Recruits) on Strothers' bunk. 



July 13 — Cloudy and Warm. A bunch went 
to the rifle range this morning. Mail ar- 
rives. Details work only half a day. 



July 14 — Sunday — Cloudy and Warm. This 
is a French holiday (Bastile Day). A 
large delegation of the boys goes to Sorcy. 
They had a good time. French and Amer- 
icans all drunk. We played ball; Truck 
Company No. 2, 7; Company "A", 9. A 
detail is sent to Rangeval. 



July 15— Cloudy in A. M., clear in P. M. The 
first bunch is to leave for Aix la Bains 
tomorrow. We were paid. Boche planes 
were over in the evening. Two French 
anti-aircraft guns move into Royaumeix 
Quarry. The gas alarm sounded at 10:00 
P. M. A detail goes to the Garage for a 
blow-out. 



July 16 — Cloudy and Warm. The bunch for 
Aix la Bains is rarin' to go. At noon all 
leaves were called off". Everybody cele- 
brates. 



July 17 — Cloudy and Hot. Rumors say that 
we are to move to Chateau Thierry. This 
is the last day of work in the quarry. 
A big celebration was held at the Mad 
House. Orders were received to be ready 
to move at two hours' notice. The Sanzey 
detail celebrates. 



July 18 — Heavy windstorm. Whittle almost 
got blown over the clifl:' at the quarry. 



The shanty got blown down. A detail is 
putting things in order for the 21st Engi- 
neers to take over our work. Detail re- 
turns from Rangeval. The entire com- 
pany is together again. 



July 19 — Clear and Hot. Misses Jane Bulley 
and Neysa McMein entertain the boys. 
They sure are good scouts. We drill all 
day. Stood reveille also. It was the first 
time in how long? The company is re- 
organized and new squads formed. Hun 
planes are over us all the time. Carter, 
Stahl and Singleton leave for Commercy 
A. W. O. L. 



July 20— Cloudy. We drill all day, in sight 
of Hun balloons. It was hailing this morn- 
ing before breakfast. Thunder shower in 
afternoon. 



July 21 — Cloudy and Cool. Lieut. Davy 
spoke to us and said, "You can't be 
trusted." The company is pretty sore. 
We held a Street Fair in the afternoon. 
We had a great time. The cooties are 
thick around here. Huns shell close to us. 
Mail comes in. 



July 22 — Clear and Hot. Three balloons are 
shot down. The .5th Platoon wins a com- 
petitive drill. The prize is a trip to the 
Mad House. They must be back early. 
The company is all ready to move. We 
are ordered to stop drilling in sight of the 
Hun balloons this morning. All service 
stripes are being put on. Our A. W. 0. 
L.'s returned today. Hun planes dropped 
seven bombs at 11:00 P. M. Caine mixed 
it with some coons. 



CHATEAU THIERRY 



July 23 — Rain and Cold. Breakfast was 
served at 4:00 A. M. We broke camp at 
5:00 A. M. We moved via trucks to Ran- 
geval (cats and all), loaded our kitchen 
on a flat car and then entrained. We ar- 
rived at Toul at 12:30 P. M. The train 
stopped at Toul for some time, so the 
bovs were allowed to go around the city. 
While there, they met Miss Bulley and 
Miss McMein. They held a song festival 
in the Red Cross. Some of the boys were 
considered A. W. 0. L. while in Toul. The 
train left Toul at 9:00 P. M. The boys 
slung their shelter halves in the cars and 
u.sed them as hammocks. Pitman was 
knocked out of his hammock and off the 
train, but he managed to run up and catch 
it. The crap shooters amused themselves 
by their indoor sport. 



32 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



July 24 — Cloudy and Cool. Lots of girls 
along- the route welcome us. The train 
ran over a girl at Rolamspont. We passed 
through Chaumont, A. E. F. Headquar- 
ters. It is some town. A big bridge is 
over the railroad. While there we are 
not allowed to make any noise, and had to 
keep our hats on straight. We stopped at 
Troyes for an hour. It is some town. We 
saw many big guns and beaucoup prison- 
ers along the line. Everybody washes, 
shaves and eats chow in about a twenty- 
inch space. This territory was fought 
over in 1914 and there are planty of 
graves on either side of the railroad. We 
arrived at Noisy-le-Sec at 12:00 P. M. Re- 
mained in the cars over night. Guards 
were posted. This place is only six kilo- 
meters from Paris. It is a beautiful coun- 
try around here. 



July 25 — Raining hard. We were up at 6:00 
o'clock, had breakfast and left Noisy-le- 
Sec. We ate dinner at Meaux. We saw 
our first double-deck railroad ca'-s. We 
passed Boche prisoners digging graves for 
our boys. The train arrived at La Feete 
at 3:30 P. M. The company marched to 
Ussy-sur-Marne. We had big packs and 
were tired on our arrival. Camp was made 
in the grounds of an old chateau. We 
pitched pup tents on the banks of the 
Marne River. Aeroplanes are thick. A 
big guard is placed over us. We meet 
the "Nut." It is a beautiful country. We 
are to attend roll call at 9:00 P. M. The 
rain is pouring down. 



July 26 — Showers. The company drilled all 
day. We are training the N. C. O.'s. The 
company takes a swim in the Marne. See 
our first pontoon bridge and use the same 
to dive from. The kitchen is near the 
river. Beaucoupe flies and yellow jackets. 



July 27 — Cloudy and Cool. We had a foot 
inspection. The pay-roll is signed. We 
drilled again. "To the rear-r — march." 
We also had sprinting and double time. 
Took another swim in the Marne. We 
have trouble drawing rations. The com- 
pany stood roll call at 9:00 P. M. 



July 28 — Cloudy and Showers. We stood in- 
spection at 9:00 A. M. No drill today. A 
heavy barrage is on at the front. The 
French put on a minstrel show for our 
benefit. It was some show. We received 
Beaucoupe rations today. We stood our 
night formation. 



time. The men fell out. Lieut. Davy tells 
us that we can be shot for it. In the 
afternoon we held a swimming party. A 
heavy barrage was put over at 2:00 A. M. 
Our evening formation is sui"e some joke. 



July 30 — Foggy. We hiked five miles to 
Changlea, St. Jean and back. They are 
giving platoon skirmish drill. Sergt. Mur- 
phy takes the company out to drill. Sema- 
phore signaling was i)racticed in the after- 
noon. A machine gun company of the 
26th Division arrives from the front. We 
went swimming after formation in the 
afternoon. A heavy barrage is being 
thrown over at the front. 



Aug. 1 — Hot with showers. A hike and 
drill all day. "Our company is coming 
into its own" by Lieut. Estelle. Mr. and 
Mrs. Rutherford again entertain. 



Aug. 2 — Cold and Showers. Stood reveille 
at 6:00 A. M. Drilled all day. 



Aug. 3 — Showers. The company hiked and 
had skirmish drill all day. We are at- 
tached to the 1st Army Corps. 



Aug. 4 — Sunday — Rain. The company stood 
inspection at 9:00 A. M. The 103rd In- 
fantry (26th Division) held Memorial 
Services for their dead. General Ed- 
wards spoke. 



Aug. 5— Rain. We drilled all day. The 
103rd Infantry held a minstrel show and 
their band gave a concert. Fried ham 
was served for dinner. The French have 
moved the pontoon bridge. 



Aug. 6 — Cloudy and Cool. Showers. The 
company went through the delouser. We 
were given chocolate by two W. A. C. 
girls, the first we had seen. The com- 
pany took a long hike this morning. 

Aug. 7 — Cloudy and Warm. Beaucoupe mail 
is received. Mrs. Hoyt entertains us. 
In the morning the company drilled and 
took a short hike. In the afternoon the 
company was divided in two, the two 
parts went on opposite hills and signaled 
to each other. We still stand the 9:00 
P. M. formation for roll call. 



Aug. 8 — Cloudy and Cool. We took a long 
hike in the moi-ning. After mess we 
packed up and were ready to move on 
two hours' notice. 



July 29 — Hot day. Hiked 12 kilometers to 
Uigney this morning. We had double 



Aug. 9 — Cloudy and Cool. We broke camp 
this morning and set out on the hike 
with full packs. We made La Ferte by 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



33 



8:00 A. M. and started climbing a long 
hill just beyond that city. It was a tough 
pull. We passed through Vaux, which is 
completely ruined, and reached Chateau 
Thierry at 5:00 P. M.. having marched 
32 kilometers. 0. D. and Iodine did a 
big business in the evening, for every- 
body had sore feet. Burton Holmes takes 
a moving picture of the company march- 
ing through the town. Lieut. Estelle 
stayed right with the boys all day, and 
he had a full pack too. In the evening 
some of the boys looked the town over 
while others went swimming in the Marne. 
While the fellows were swimming they 
found a dead German and an American 
in the stream. They buried them. There 
is heavy firing ahead of us. 



The smallest painting is ten feet by ten 
feet. One painting was made in 1743. 



Aug. 10— Cloudy. We left Chateau Thierry 
at 6:00 A. M. It is terribly hot. The 
men are all tired out. We entered the 
"souvenir country" shortly. Our packs 
were taken off and left at Epieds, being 
picked up later by the camp truck. We 
arrived at Villemoyenne at 4:00 P. M., 
where we pitched our pup tents in an 
orchard, according to squads, platoons 
and in line in all directions. We are two 
kilometers from Fere-en-Tardenois. Three 
Boche planes were over us. We hiked 
about 22 kilometers today. 



Aug. 11— Hot day. We met Truck Co. No. 
10. Formation at 9:00 A. M. to police 
camp. We salvaged a Hun piano. Our 
dependents are now — 2 dogs, 10 cats, 1 
cow and 1 piano. The atmosphere is ter- 
rible, so many dead around. Souvenirs 
are thick. We buried some American 
soldiers. Denny Bergin offers prayer. 
"Jerry has to be tied up." Mail received. 
There are millions of flies around this 
place. 



Aug. 12 — Hot day. We drill, have inspec- 
tion and get paid. The smell of the dead 
is terrible and the flies are thick. Adolph 
Bersch did not smell very good, so we re- 
buried him. 



Aug. 13 — Hot. We drill for five hours and 
have one hour fatigue. Huns drop bombs 
and big flares. They also attack a wagon 
train on the road with machine guns. A 
heavy barrage is in progress. Dr. Pen- 
dil. Pond and others fight for places un- 
der the camp truck during the air raid. 
Bombs were dropped on a hospital near 
us. The boys visit the ruined church in 
Fere-en-Tardenois. The beautiful paint- 
ings in the church are all cut to pieces. 



Aug. 14 — Clear and Hot. Mail arrives. 
Three balloons were brought down. We 
had a night air raid. We drilled five 
hours. Some of the boys vistied a big 
German gun base near camp. Beaucoupe 
Hun planes over tonight. 

Aug. 1.5 — Clear and Hot. This morning we 
took a hike, we were out for three hours. 
In the afternoon we packed up, we have 
orders to move. McCormick is acting 
Mess Sergeant. Many big guns are going 
to the Front. 



Aug. 16 — Fair and Hot. We were up at 
5:00 A. M., had breakfast, broke camp 
at 7:15 and marched five east to Bois 
de Meuneere, arriving there at 11:30 A. 
M. It was a hard cross country hike and 
many of the boys fell out. There are 
lots of souvenirs here. This camp used 
to be occupied by the Prussian Guards. 
Tractors and many guns are going on 
up. We were shelled and in the evening 
had an air raid lasting from 9:00 to 11 :00 
P. M. Fere-en-Tardenois was bombed. 



Aug. 17 — Cloudy and Warm. There was a 
heavy barrage all day. This morning we 
had a large camp detail. Most of the 
boys bathed in a near-by creek. We 
found Beaucoupe blankets that had been 
salvaged and appropriated same. A big 
black jack game lasting all night was 
played by moonlight. 



Aug. IS^Sunday — Cloudy and Cool. We 
stood inspection today. The boys begin 
sending souvenirs home. Blackberries are 
ripe and there are lots of them around 
camp. In the evening a heavy barrage 
was in progress. 



Aug. 19 — Very warm. All the company 
was sent out with picks and shovels. 
They didn't work. Lieut. Davy claims 
we are "draft dodgers." A Non-Com 
meeting was called, they got dragged 
over the coals. The Tin-God threatens 
to put us in the Gas and Flame if we 
don't work. Several of the Non-Coms 
ask to be transferred to the Gas and 
Flame. The boys had a good time around 
the piano, playing and singing. The 
woods were shelled several times and we 
had a gas alarm. We were bombed again 
tonight. 



Aug. 20 — Clear and Cool, Heavy showers 
during the night. Gas and Flame threat- 
ened again. Sergt. Weeks turned in a 



34 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



bunch of names of men who wouldn't 
work. About half of the men ask to be 
transferred to the Gas and Flame Regi- 
ment. Orders came in to move. Details 
returned to camp at 10:00 A. M. and 
packed up. A Hun plane gets one of 
our balloons. 



Aug. 21 — Clear and Hot. Company moves 
by detail to Abbey de Igny. The first 
detail of 12 men moved to a camp near 
Cohan. It was so dangerous there that 
a Colonel ordered them to get out. They 
went to Abby de Igny. Beaucoupe shells 
and flares there. They passed Roosevelt's 
grave. 



Aug. 22 — Clear and Hot. Half of the com- 
pany arrives at the Abby de Igny at 6:00 
P. M., where they were greeted by hot 
shell fire. Got orders to move at 1 :00 
A. M. 



Aug. 23 — Clear and Warm. Last half leaves 
for the Abby. On arrival the boys im- 
mediately dig themselves in. We were 
shelled all night, the shells landing very 
close. There are millions of flies and yel- 
low jackets (man size) here. Details are 
cleaning up the camp. 

Aug. 24 — Rain and Cold. Details working 
on the roads. Everybody marking time. 
Big guns shell us, the explosion shakes 
the ground all round, and keeps the men 
from sleeping. 



Aug. 25 — Sunday — Clear and Cool. Lots of 
shelling going on. Aeroplanes are always 
overhead. We receive chocolate from the 
Red Cross. A detail is .sent out to work 
a quarry. Some of the boys are super- 
vising the work of Pioneer Infantry men. 
Bombing planes come over at 10:00 P. M. 
The boys salvage a lot of plums. 



Aug. 26— Cloudy and Cold. Big storm last 
night. The big guns are at work. Amex 
planes are overhead. We have two quar- 
ries operating. The Red Cross issues 
more chocolate. Our Infantry makes a 
big advance. 



Aug. 27 — Cloudy and Cool. It is a fine day. 
The heavy artillery is active all day and 
night. A commissary is opened at the 
Abby, it takes about four hours to go 
through the lines. 



Aug. 28 — Rain and Cool. We are living on 
greasy stew and sticky macaroni. The pay 
roll was signed. Lots of shells are com- 
ing over. We counted nineteen consecu- 
tive "duds." The rules are very strict 



about lights. Many ot the boys are sick. 
It rained hard about 6:00 P. M. Some 
boot-leggers unloaded on the 1st Platoon. 



Aug. 29 — Rain. A Boche came over and 
tried for a balloon but failed. There was 
a heavy barrage all last night. Chocolate 
and magazines were given out at the Red 
Cross. 



Aug. 30 — Rain and Cold. We had had a 
day ofl' to go through the delouser. Or- 
ders to wear the U. S. Button. Signed 
the pay roll. 



Aug. 31 — Rain. Lieut. Estelle hunts for 
jam and butter around the gas guards. 
Heavy barrage all night. 



Sept. 1 — Sunday — Rain all day. Half of the 
company is oft' to go through the de- 
louser. They got new clothes. Red Cross 
gives us chewing gum, chocolate and ci- 
garettes. Dykema's big truck is wrecked. 
Inspection for some of the men. A de- 
tail visits Rheims. Hun planes over and 
dropped bombs. 



Sept. 2 — Clear and Cold. Hun planes over 
and get two balloons. Details are sent 
to Dravegny. Max goes to hospital. 
Thirty-one "duds" fall close to camp. A 
Quad truck turns over on the road. It 
is Labor Day. Half of the company is 
off to go through the delouser. 



Sept. 3 — Cloudy and Cool. A big air fight 
was staged today, five Allies and seven 
Huns. After three planes were brought 
down, the Huns beat it. The balloon at 
camp was shot down. A detail left for 
Chateau Thierry to bring back tractors. 
We can see Fismes and other towns burn- 
ing. The Americans crossed the Vesle 
River in a push. 



Sept. 4 — Stormy. We receive orders to 
move at 5:00 P. M., the orders were: "The 
alert is on. You will proceed to rendez- 
vous, where you will be met by Staft" Of- 
ficers, who will give you further instruc- 
tions." We broke camp at 7:30 P. M. 
and marched to the Bois de Meuniere, ar- 
riving there at 10:30 P. M., finding many 
troops there ahead of us. We made camp 
and passed the night. 



Sept. 5 — Mild and Showers. We broke camp 
at 4:30 A. M. and hiked to St. Thibaut, 
arriving there at 11:00 P. M. in a heavy 
thunder storm. We made a bivoauc camp 
alongside of the road. The 88th Aero 
Squadron moves up. Some 2nd class mail 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



is received. A heavy artillery action 
is on. 



Sept. 6 — Fair and Mild. We moved camp 
one-half mile ahead. Lieut. Kern returns 
to the company. Eight balloons are in 
sight. The Reichtofen Circus is on this 
sector, the machines are painted a bright 
red. Huns drop G. I. Cans. Two Huns 
are downed. A battery of 6-inch rifles 
are just behind our camp — they cut loose 
at 3:00 P. JI. and certainly jarred things 
up. 



Sept. 7 — Fair and Cool. We cleaned up St. 
Thibaut in the morning and in the after- 
noon we built a road up to the bridge- 
head across the Vesle. We had a salvage 
detail out looking for rockets. There are 
lots of French, German and American 
dead laying around. We buried quite a 
few. The boys found sawed off shot guns 
and piles of other equipment laying 
around, and, of course, lots of souvenirs. 
We finished the job at 7:30 P. M. 



Sept. 8 — Fair and Cool. Aeroplane fight 
overhead. One American was attacked 
by three Huns, he brought one Hun down 
and made his escape. Pershing says, 
"Hell, Heaven or Hoboken by Christmas." 
The detail arrives with tractors. 



Sept. 9 — Cloudy and showers. Moved camp 
by trucks to La Charmel. We arrived at 
La Charmel at 2:00 P. M. It rained most 
of the time on the trip. The Abby de 
Igny detail with barracks bags arrived. 
The boys spent a cold night. 



Sept. 10 — Rained hard all day. Cold. No 
work except a few camp details. Every- 
body loafed most of the time. Barrack 
bags were inspected and surplus souvenirs 
thrown away. We are waiting for or- 
ders. The sergeants put on a ce'ebration 
this evening. 



ACROSS CHAMPAGNE TO ST. MIHIEL 



Sept. 11 — Showers and Cold. Broke camp 
this morning. We are traveling on 27 of 
Truck Co. "10" trucks. Iron rations are 
issued to us. It rained most of the day. 
The tractors and other equipment left 
under charge of Lieut. Trax. We crossed 
the River Marne at Jaulgonne, passed 
through Dormans, the city is in ruins, 
then through the towns of Troissy, Bui- 
son, Epemay. Plivot and Chalons. We 
made camp outside of Chalons. The boys 
were allowed to visit Chalons and most 
of them had supper in that city. This is 
the first time we have been in civilization 



for many months. We passed the 28th 
Division on the road. It is a terribly 
dark night. We have a sergeant and 11 
men on guard. 



Sept. 12 — Cool and Showers. Broke camp 
early this morning. The surrounding 
country is beautiiul. We stopped at 
Vitry-la-Francaise, where the boys bought 
out a store of all its hot bread, cheese, 
jam, etc. It sui'e was good stuff. We 
continued and passed through the towns 
of Moncetz, Cheppy, Pogny, Le Chaussel, 
Vitry, Jusecourt, Minecourt, Villees-le- 
Sec, Rambecourt. We made camp for the 
night at Chaumont sur Aire. It is very 
cold. The officers were almost kicked 
out of a truck in which they were sleep- 
ing. Some of the boys were called down 
for singing, by a major. 



Sept. 13 — Showers. We left Chaumont sur 
Aire. Had our dinner of Red Horse, etc., 
m the ammunition dump along the road. 
Todav we saw our first U. S. A. locomo- 
tive in action. Arrived at some barracks 
near Dugney, and made camp. The men 
had to sleep in the barracks. Guards 
were posted, but some of the fellows were 
A. W. 0. L. already. Oixlers came in that 
evening to get out of there by 11:00 
o'clock or as actually read, by 23 o'clock 
that night. We loaded up again in the 
dark and finally left at 12:00 P. M. 



Sept. 14— Cold and Cloudy. Traveled last 
night and arrived in Souilly at 2 :00 A. M., 
where we made camp in the street, the 
men shifting for themselves. There is a 
prison cage in the city containing 2,300 
Huns and 60 officers. That means souve- 
nirs galore. The boys located some beer. 
We were jiaid. Six hundred new prison- 
ers brought in today. 



Sept. 15 — Fair and Cold. We had breakfast 
and then pulled out of Souilly for about a 
mile further up the road. Here we met 
Company "H," who had beaucoupe mail for 
us and copies of the "Highwayman," the 
23rd's official journal. This was the first 
we had seen of the paper. We also meet 
Col. Peak at Senoncourt, who gave us or- 
ders to proceed to Parois. On the way to 
Parois the trucks had to travel 200 yards 
apart, for safety's sake. We arrived at 
our camp, which is under direct observa- 
tion by enemy balloons, at 10:00 o'clock in 
the evening. Some of the trucks got lost 
and did not get in until later. 



Sept. 16 — Showers. We were uo earlv this 
morning. The French officers ordered us 



36 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



to move the trucks into camouflage. The 
men are not allowed to get in the open, 
and trucks are not allowed to go in or out 
of camp in the day time. Mail is received. 
A detail cleared out the barracks in camp, 
but the men preferred sleeping in their 
pup tents near the dug-outs. The big 
grave yards of Verdun were seen on our 
way to camp. This evening the Boche 
came over and dropped G. I. cans. Every- 
body made for the dug-outs. 



Sept. 17 — Showers. A detail was sent to 
the Vadelaincourt Quarry. They worked 
along with Indo-Chinese. Some of the 
boys were put in charge of a detail from 
the 108th Engineers. Eight bags of mail 
are received. A Hun plane came over and 
dropped propaganda. Our trucks were 
covered with tarpaulins, so that the en- 
emy would not be able to see what the 
trucks carried. We are building a reserve 
ration dump. Many large guns are being 
moved up. A heavy artillery action oc- 
curred. Huns shot down the balloon close 
to camp. 



Sept. 18 — Showers. A detail was sent to the 
quarry. The 1st Platoon has a day off. 
They worked all day getting things ready 
to move. After supper camp was broken 
and we moved to Grange le Compt, near 
Rarecourt, arriving there at 9:30 P. M. 
Barracks were to be had at this camp and 
we speedily made use of them. 



Sept. 19— Showers. Everybody is working 
now. Details were sent out to the quarry 
near Blercourt, to the railroad, to unload 
material, and one to work on the Aubre- 
ville-Neuvilly Road. Pond and T. T. de- 
cide to sleep in a dug-out. Part of our de- 
tails worked all night. Traffic conditions 
are terrible. Shoemaker sets up his black- 
smith shop and gets to work. American 
Engineers are building a prisoner stockade 
at Lemmes. 



Sept. 20 — Rain. Details working all night 
at Neuvilly storage dump. Details repair- 
ing the road in the day time. This for- 
mer detail was shelled and gassed several 
times during the night. Rats as big as 
cats are in the barracks, and many of 
them. 



Auzeville Quarry, 
today. 



Clermont was shelled 



Sept. 22 — Rain. Details working both night 
and day. A tool dump at Neuvilly is 
started. Neuvilly is heavily shelled, also 
Auzeville and Clermont. Many tanks and 
troops are coming in. Our tractors are 
taken up to the front. 



Sept. 23 — Stormy. We have started storing 
material in Neuvilly, which is about two 
kilometers from the Front Line. The de- 
tail at the Auzeville Quarry was shell6d 
and gassed, which kept the boys in the 
dug-out most of the time. Day and night 
work continues. Details are working the 
537th Engineers. Some of the boys vis- 
ited Verdun. 



Sept. 21 — Rain. Details are out working 
coons. Trafl'ic is blocked on a four way 
road. Our trucks made two kilometers in 
two hours. Our details are mixed up. We 
are working a detail of the 537th Engi- 
neers along with some Moroccans in the 



Sept. 24 — Showers. Details are cleaning the 
road west of the Aire River at Neuvilly. 
A detail is storing material at Auzeville. 
Our night detail was gassed three times 
during the night. Tanks, guns, troops and 
supplies are coming up. A heavy artil- 
lery battle is on. We had beaucoup hot 
cakes for breakfast. 



ARGONNE-MEUSE 



Sept. 25 — Showers and Cold. There was a 
big traffic block during the night. A 
heavy barrage was put over at 11 :00 P. M. 
on our left. Our night detail was ordered 
to leave Neuvilly at midnight. A terrific 
barrage opened up at 2:00 A. M. Our men 
work all night, no rest for them. The of- 
fensive begins all along the line. 



Sept. 26 — Showers. We were up at 5:30 
A. M. and after breakfast, moved to Neu- 
villy. The company left the barrack bags 
at Grange le Compt. Prisoners are coming 
back. We left Neuvilly and arrived at the 
First Crater at 1 :00 A. M. Two thousand 
men are on the job building a telford base 
shoo-fly around the crater. We assisted 
the Pioneer Engineers on our arrival but 
at 8:00 P. M. we took full charge of build- 
ing a two way road around the crater. 



Col. Peak was on the job for a while di- 
recting the work. The enemy is shelling 
our batteries on the right. Traffic was 
blocked for 24 hours for miles back of the 
crater. We formed three 8-hour shifts, 
thus working day and night. Four shells 
landed within a few feet of a gang of our 
boys but none were hurt. We sent a de- 
tail further up to Bourevilles to remove 
debris and obstructions from the road. 
The kitchen is now serving six meals a 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



37 



day, or two meals for each gang. A Hun 
machine gun holding the hill on our left, 
cut loose at us but did no damage, al- 
though the bullets were hitting in the 
planks and lumber piles. Heavy shell fire 
coming in all around us. The German 
prisoners are carrying back our wounded. 
A Hun plane came over us and shortly 
after, eight shells landed on the road, 
wounding a number of men. 



Sept. 27 — Rain. We finished the first crater 
this morning and moved up to the second. 
There are 2,000 men on the job. When 
we arrived a six-inch gun was stuck in 
the mud. We gave a lift toward getting 
it out, when it hit a mine which blew up 
the gun, killing several fellows and wound- 
ing ten. The first hundred feet of this 
shoo-fly was made with telford base, but 
the remainder was made into a plank road. 
The road at present is only one way. A 
Hun avaitor dropped gas bombs on a bat- 
tery to our right and then made use of 
his machine gun. We are shelled heavily. 
The lines advance further today. The ar- 
tillery went across our new road at 2 :00 
A. M. We buried five American soldiers 
on the Varennes side of the crater. A big 
barrage is in progress all along the line. 
Marz finds a German Major and his or- 
derly, brings them into Varennes and 
turns them over to the M. P.'s. A Hun 
plane swoops and gets a balloon nearly 
over us, but the boys got him before he 
went far. 



Sept. 28 — Rained hard all day. We widened 
the plank road at the second crater to a 
two way road. We saw a big air battle 
in which one American and three Huns 
were downed. A Hun plane gets another 
American balloon, but five of our planes 
chased him and brought him down just 
inside of our lines. Gen. Pershing goes 
over our road and gets out of his car and 
speaks to some of our boys. Machine gun 
bullets keep bothering our men. The 
traff'ic is tremendous, 12,000 vehicles hav- 
ing been counted passing a given point in 
24 hours. 



Sept. 29 — Rain. The main road is being 
widened from Boureuilles to Varennes. 
We have a detail maintaining the plank 
road night and day. The night detail goes 
to work at 6:00 P. M. and is relieved at 
6:00 A. M. The men suff'er from the cold. 
Neuvilly was shelled. Machine guns work 
on our details. Between the noise of the 
artillery and being bitten by fieas, it is 
hard to get any sleep at night. 



Sept. 30 — Rain and Cold. Details still work- 
ing night and day on repairing and main- 
taining roads. The night detail was 
shelled most of the time. Machine guns 
hinder our work. The big batteries are 
now over a mile behind us, and they keep 
up a heavy fire all day. One of our avi- 
ators dashed to earth about 100 yards 
from the road. The 1st Division is com- 
ing up. 



Oct. 1 — Colder and Rain. We sign the pay- 
roll. A big shell landed in a gravel pit 
worked by our boys just a few minutes 
after they had got out. We are still work- 
ing day and night maintaining it. A Hun 
swept up and down the road using his ma- 
chine gun on the traffic. We are working 
the 54th Pioneer Infantry, but they don't 
have much "pep." The "Sal" has moved 
into Neuvilly. 



Oct. 2 — Frosty and Cold. Details are work- 
ing the 54th Pioneer Infantry at Varennes 
and Cheppy. There are beaucoupe batter- 
ies around us. The French begin building 
a bridge over the first crater. The "Sal" 
opens up, candy and eats. The Huns make 
a raid on the roads. 



Oct. 3 — Cloudy and showers. The 1st Divi- 
sion goes over the top. Two thousand 
cases have gone through the dressing sta- 
tion at Neuvilly. All the batteries are 
moving forward. Several naval guns come 
up and get into action. The "Sal" made 
some swell doughnuts and cofi'ee. Neu- 
villy was bombed this evening. 



Oct. 4 — Cloudy. A heavy barrage was 
thrown over at 5:15 A. M. and a big ad- 
vance was made. Twenty-two Hun planes 
came over — one stayed. We packed up to 
move but it was a false alarm. The de- 
tails went out at 10:00 A. M. We had hot 
coffee and doughnuts at the "Sal". 



Oct. 5 — Cold. Our details are working in 
Varennes and Cheppy. The "Sal" gets in 
a big supply of cookies and candy. 

Oct. 6 — Cloudy. Rumor has it that the Cen- 
tral Powers are asking for peace on Wil- 
son's terms. This morning at 9:00 o'clock 
we left Neuvilly and hiked to Varennes. 
Our packs were terribly heavy. Stack 
found his "Aladdin's" Cave. It contained 
many bottles of champagne and wines, etc. 
We found in four hours what Jerry could 
not find in four years. We made camp in 
dug-outs and pup tents along the Aure 
River. Varennes is of historical interest, 
as here the flight of Louis XIV and Marie 



38 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



■^^^i?**'^^ ^ — * Hft. 




o 



3 

a 



o 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



39 




Members of the "Lost Battalion" Getting Their First Meal At a Regimental Kitchen, 
After Having Been Cut Off By the Enemy for Six Days With But One Day's Rations. 



40 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



Antoinette was discovered. Two large 
batteries of 155's are stationed in town. 
Four thousand trucks pass through here 
in 24 hours. Our men are still working 
the Pioneer Infantry. 



Oct. 7 — Showers. We opened up a quarry 
on the Cheppy Road, but it is not of much 
account, so the detail went to Charpentry. 
This detail was shelled here. No damage 
done except the killing of several horses. 
The detail on the second crater built a fire 
in a dug-out and had to wear their gas 
masks on account of the smoke. Wine 
still holding out. 



Oct. 8 — Cold and Raining. A heavy barrage 
was on all day and night. All the roads 
were shelled down to the first crater. We 
have a detail tearing down the walls of 
demolished buildings in Charpentry in or- 
der to get rock. Charpentry was heavily 
shelled today, and there was an air battle 
directly overhead. There was much noise, 
for everybody around was shooting at the 
Boche planes, of which there were twenty. 
Murphy and Bull Yake mixed it un today. 
We were served doughnuts and coffee at 
the "Sal" in Varennes. 



Oct. 9— Cloudy and Terribly Cold. Details 
the same as yesterday. Many Boche pris- 
oners are coming through. A Hun plane 
shot down one of our balloons, but we 
got him at Fleville. 



Oct. 10 — Fair and Mild. Shells were dropped 
just behind our camp truck on the Neu- 
villy-Varennes Road. Another shell struck 
a truck loaded with packs and scattered 
the packs all over the landscape. Our 
Charpentry detail is still at work. Ten 
Huns were over today and got one of our 
balloons. We got one of the planes. 



Oct. 11 — Cloudy. Charpentry detail is shelled 
and gassed. Rumors of peace are heard. 
Coffee and doughnuts at the "Sal". Hun 
planes are over. A heavy barrage is in 
progress. 



Oct. 12 — Rain. Details left to work Com- 
panies "A", "B", "C" and "D" of the 
815th Pioneer Infantry at Clermont. They 
are to act as instructors on the Army 
Method of Road Building. The rest of the 
company is getting good grub now. Some 
of the boys left for the R. 0. T. C. The 
misfits are left in camp. A detail is still 
working in Charpentry. Gassed D. T.'s 
leave for hospital. 



Oct. 13 — Sunday — Cloudy and Showers. The 
boys bathe in Varennes in a bath house. 
They are allowed three minutes to do the 
job in. There are a lot of trucks lying 
in the ditches along the road. Germany 
talks with Wilson on his fourteen points. 
Detail at Charpentry eats and shoot craps 
in the ruins of the old church. 



Oct. 14 — Cloudy and Cold. A heavy barrage 
is on. Good doughnuts and eats were 
served at the "Sal." Beaucoupe prisoners 
pass our camp. A couple of the boys sal- 
vaged a German machine gun and had 
some practice. It is some weapon. We re- 
ceive some mail. 



Oct. 1.5 — Rained all day and night. German 
prisoners say that they are through with 
their kaiser. We attended a band concert 
at Charpentry given by the 150th Field 
Artillery Band. Mail is received. The first 
broad gauge locomotive pulls into Va- 
rennes. 



Oct. 16 — Rained hard. Gen. Foch is to dic- 
tate peace terms. A detail of the 54th 
Pioneer Infantry is working with our de- 
tail in Charpentry. 



Oct. 17 — Rain and Cold. Gen. Pershing 
passes through Varennes. Sergt. Weeks 
is transferred from the company. We still 
have our Charpentry detail. Rumors are 
that the Americans have taken Grand Pre. 
German prisoners continue to come back. 
A 6-inch naval battery is at work about 
60 or 100 yards from our Chari^entry de- 
tal. A big bunch of Boche planes were 
over today. 



Oct. 18 — Cold with Showers. Our detail with 
Company "A", and Company "B", 815th 
P. I., return to the company. The other 
details are still out. Christmas package 
coupons are given out. Rumors are that 
riots are occurring in Berlin. 



Oct. 19 — Cloudy and Cold. Our details with 
Companies "B" and "C", 815th P. I., re- 
turn to the company. The Charpentry de- 
tail is loading stone. They also broke up 
some tombstones that were found on the 
hill and are using them to patch the road. 
Hun bombing machines come over. 



Oct. 20 — Sunday — Rained hard all day. We 
received 19 sacks of mail. The company 
stood muster at 8:00 A. M. 



Oct. 21— Cloudy and Cold. Pay day. De- 
tails were out to Charpentry and vicin- 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



41 



ity. Hun planes were over this evening 
dropping flares and then bombs. 



Oct. 22 — Fair and Cold. Details were out to 
Charpentry. Jerry was over again and 
caused a bit of excitement around our 
camp with his G. I. cans. 



Oct. 23— Fair and Cool. The Spanish "Flu" 
is raging. Many of the boys are in the 
hospital. Beaucoupe Hun planes were over 
this evening from 8:00 to 11:00 P. M., 
dropping eggshells as usual. One landed 
about 100 feet from camp. Another land- 
ed on top of a locomotive under which 
two fellows were taking refuge. Luckily 
it was a "dud". The searchlights were 
playing up into the sky trying to spot 
them. It was a beautiful sight. 



Oct. 24-^Fair and Cool. Capt. Hackett has 
taken command of the company. Lieut. 
Davy, or rather Capt. Davy, as he now is, 
being transferred to the Army Road Serv- 
ice. Many of the boys ai'e being sent to 
the hospital. The rains have flooded the 
Aire River, it sure is up high. We were 
bombed again. 



Oct. 25 — Cloudy and Cool. We have started 
to work longer hours ; from 5 :00 A. M. to 
7 :00 P. M. Also have arranged it so that 
each man may be off one day in seven. 



Oct. 26 — Cloudy. Our Regimental Head- 
quarters with Company "E" and the band 
have moved to Vraincourt from the S. O. 
S. The Chai'pentry detail is out. A Hun 
gets another balloon. The men in the bal- 
loon jump with their parachutes. A big 
feed for the boys was on the bill tonight. 



Oct. 27— Fair and Cold. Lieut. Col. Wing 
visits camp. Rumors visit camp that for- 
mer Sergt. Peek is now a shave tail. Capt. 
Hackett gives a talk to the company. The 
Hun has been shelling the vicinity for the 
past few nights. 



Oct. 28— Cloudy and Cold. Company "F" 
moves into Charpentry. They were shelled 
and several wounded. A Hun aviator gets 
a balloon near Cheppy, and the balloon 
near camp was also brought down. We 
receive rumors than Ludendorf has re- 
signed. The Allies are giving the Hun 
hell along the whole line. Beaucoupe 
cooties in the company. 



Oct. 29 — Cold. A detail of our men is work- 
ing Company "E", 27th Engineers, on the 
road near Mt. Blainville. We signed the 
pay-roll again. A heavy barrage is on. We 



saw another big air battle today. Capt. 
Davy is in the hospital with wounds re- 
ceived hunting souvenirs with Lieut. Col. 
Wing. Rumors are that Austria has quit. 



Oct. 30 — Cold. Rumors are that Vienna has 
demanded a separate peace. Also that we 
are to move to Grand Pre. The church 
at Clermont is blown down completely but 
the shrine is still standing. All the terri- 
tory around here has seen many battles in 
the old days. A heavy barrage is on. 



Oct. 31 — Cloudy. The company was up early 
this morning, had mess and at 7:00 A. M. 
started on a hike to Four de Paris, which 
is in the Argonne Forest. We arrived 
there at 1:00 P. M. This is Hallowe'en 
night and everything is quiet for some 
reason or other. Hart H. J. rides the mo- 
tor bike against Shorty's wishes. Com- 
pany "K", 23rd Engineers, takes our place 
at Varennes. We have good dug-outs, 
etc., at Four de Paris. It is a historical 
place. Caesar once used this place as a 
camp. 



Nov. 1 — Fair and Mild. There has been a 
heavy barrage all day and night. Mail is 
received. We have a detail out cleaning 
the road at La Chalade. .R. J. retui'ns 
from A. W. O. L. He is punished by be- 
ing made to dig holes. We have orders 
to move but did not go. Salvage re- 
turns. 



Nov. 2 — Rain and Cold. Detail still clean- 
ing the road. Turkey surrenders Darda- 
nelles and prisoners. Mail is received. The 
82nd Division goes out. 



Nov. 3 — Rain. We had half of the company 
off. They stood in.spection at 4:00 P. M. 
Shorty asks if emery paper was used on 
the rifles. Details out scraping mud off 
the roads. We receive rumors that Presi- 
dent Wilson is assassinated. 



Nov. 4— Fair and Cold. The other half of 
the company is off, and stand inspection 
in the afternoon. Chaplain Cotter gives 
us K. of C. candy, cigars, cigarettes and 
gum. The boys return from detached serv- 
ice. A couple of them got lost and slept 
in No Man's Land with the 114th Engi- 
neers, returning to the company the next 
morning. 



Nov. 5 — Cloudy and Cold. The whole com- 
pany has an off day and stands inspection 
at 4:00 P. M. Capt. Hackett gives us a 
speech, tells us that we have been resting 
the past few days. We were not aware 
of the fact. It was our oft'icial rest. 



42 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



Names of new first class privates are pub- 
lished. Heres one day's crop of L. D. : 
(1) President Wilson is shot. (2) Austria 
gives up. (3) The Americans can't catch 
up with the Hun retreat on this front. (4) 
We are to go back to the S. O. S. to get 
our leaves. (5) We go to the front again. 



Nov. 6 — Cloudy. We were up early, had 
mess, and started hiking to St. Juvin. We 
made the 15 miles over mud roads by 
3:00 o'clock in the afternoon. There are 
good billets to be had here. On the way, 
we passed a big German gun with the 
breech blown oft'. In St. Juvin there is a 
German machine gun dump. 



Nov. 7 — Rain. We are cleaning the mud 
from the Grand Pre Road. Many refu- 
gees are returning from Germany. Peace 
rumors are floating around. The paners 
say that German Peace Delegates have 
left Berlin to see Foch. Lieut. Gerten ar- 
rives in the company. We see prisoners 
who did not know that America was in 
the war. Spoils of war are thick. The 
burial squad is busy. 



Nov. 8 — Rain. New sergeants and corporals 
are made. Peace rumors are heard and a 
big celebration is put on. The Americans 
have entered Sedan. We found an Amer- 
ican soldier with a bomb tied in his hands. 
A burial detail lifted him up and the bomb 
exploded, wounding five men, one having 
his hand blown oft'. We have a detail on 
the road filling up shell holes. 



Nov. 9 — Rain. The 80th Division gives a 
band concert. The artillery is still roar- 
ing away. The papers say that a republic 
has been declared in Bavaria, also that 
Germany is given 72 hours to decide 
whether or not to accept the peace terms. 
Lieut. Gerten has a new method of patch- 
ing the road — by means of barb-wire. 
Mail is received. Leather jerkins are is- 
sued. A detail is working on the bridge 
at Grand Pre. 



Nov. 10 — Heavy Frost. Cold. Leaves, or 
passes, are to be given in 48 hours. Ru- 
mors are that the kniser has abdicated 
his throne. Big celebration (premature). 
Mike finds two socks on one foot and one 
on the other. 



THE ARMISTICE 



Nov. 11 — Raining and Co'd. The armistice 
goes into efteet at 11 :00 A. M. The finish 
we hope. Edwards and Ellington are 
burned out at 1 :00 A. M. No casualties. 



A detail starts work on building a road to 
Evacuation Hospital No. 7. 

Nov. 12 — Rain. News of the signing of 
the armistice is posted on the bulletin 
board. We celebrate by scraping the mud 
olF the road. Many nui'ses from the hos- 
pital visit camp. A. L. D. rumor is that 
we have 14 months' work to do after peace 
is declared. Another is that we are to go 
home in six weeks. 



Nov. 13 — Cold and Fair. War is surely over. 
No more G. I. cans or pot shots by the 
Huns. No more sound of aeroplanes by 
night. We have rockets, camp-fires and 
everything going. It seems strange as 
hell. A detail is sent out to Grand Pre. 



Nov. 14 — Cold and Clear. We were up early, 
packed and moved by trucks to Fort Sou- 
ville and Travennes. Fort Douamont is on 
our left. Our camp is about six kilometers 
from Verdun. There is « wonderful under- 
ground city in Verdun. Pill boxes and 
underground passages are thick. The dug- 
outs are cold and dark. We passed the 
26th Division on the road. Rumors are 
that the Crown Prince has been murdered. 



Nov. 1.5 — Cold. The 1st Division comes in. 
Details are working on the roads, in 
quarry and in camp. Returned Allied pris- 
oners of war pass us. There are Rouman- 
ians, Italians, French and British. They 
sure are in a terrible condition. This is 
paradise for the souvenir hunters. The 
"dope" is that we are to be home by 
Christmas. Truck Company No. 9 arrives 
at Fort Souvelle. This is a terrible place. 
There are 40,000 French and Germans 
buried here. 



Nov. 16 — Very Cold. Details working on the 
Metz-Verdun Highway, also in the quar- 
ries. We almost freeze. No fires are al- 
lowed to be made. "Put that fire out. 
What's your name?" We stole rock from 
the French maintenance piles. The Ger- 
man advance post is near our gang at the 
crater. A German officer visited us and 
was interned. Returned prisoners are tell- 
ing of inhuman treatment received at the 
hands of the Boche. The papers say that 
American Engineers at the front are do- 
ing superhuman work on the roads. 



Nov. 17 — Cloudy and Cold. We have opened 
up and are operatino' a quarry near the 
Metz road. We receive passes to Verdun. 
The 1st Division crosses the line, all 
decked out in new uniforms, flags and 
band. Rumors are e-oing the rounds that 
we are to move to Metz. We are ordered 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



to sew a black k'tter "A" on our left 
sleeve. Truck goes to Auzevilb to get new 
clothing for the boys going on leave. 



Nov. 18 — Cloudy and Cold. It snowed for 
the first time this evening. Lieut. Gertcn 
lined up the Shines on detail, in order lo 
make them pick by count. All ready? 
1-2-3-4! We are given a lecture on "Burn- 
ing Powders." The 815th P. I. arrives and 
everyone is called "'Ensign." We started 
to work them at noon. In Verdun is a 
beautiful statue erected to the Defenders 
of Verdun of 1870. 



Nov. 19 — Cloudy and Cold. New non-coms 
are announced. Murmurs are heard in the 
ranks. We have a detail on the road and 
one loading trucks in the t|uarry. Kumors 
are that all trusk and wagon companies 
are turning in their equipment and get- 
ting ready to return to the States. 

Nov. 20 — Cold and Rain. Heavy Frost. Ru- 
mors are that we are to go back to head- 
quarters soon. Details are on detached 
service to the 815th P. I. There is a big 
shake up in the kitchen force. The or- 
derly also quit. Gen. Pershing, Bullard, 
M. Poincare and M. Clemenceau pass en 
route to Metz. 



Nov. 21 — Terribly Cold. A detail of souve- 
nir hunters visit Jeandelize and Metz. Pay 
day. We will be home by Christmas — 
L. D. Passes are to be granted. Men had 
a day off. 



Nov. 22 — Cold and Fair. Boys that are to 
go on leave must pass a cootie inspection. 
Carter arrived back to the company — with 
two overcoats, a helmet and an M. P.'s 
badge. A detail was sent to the tjuarry 
but worked only an hour or so. Lieut. 
Douglas of Company "E" is assigned to 
Company "A". 



Nov. 23 — Cold and Fair. Boys on leave Hst 
will be sent to Aix-la-Bains. We have a 
"Y" entertainment for the officers at Ver- 
dun. The enlisted men are told to wait 
for the second show. After standing for 
two hours waiting, we were told that there 
was no second show. The "Y" certainly 
got "hooted." We have some A. W. 0. 
L.'s to Metz. An aeroplane drops us pa- 
pers, the Herald and the Tribune. 



Nov. 24 — Sunday — Rain. We have Sunday 
off now for the whole company. It's an 
A. E. F. order. The censor is lifted. Beau- 
coupe letters are written home. Lieut. 
Trax and the Mayor of Etain find beau- 
coupe francs that were buried. 



Nov. 25 — Rained all night and most of the 
day. Details are out on the road and in 
the quarry. We are repairing the ioad at 
Etain. 



Nov. 26 — Rain. Details are sent to Etain to 
work on the roads. Mail is received. We 
rece.ve orders to move. 



Nov. 27 — Rained all day. We pack up to 
move — souvenirs and all. The officers did 
not like the Chateau at Olley, so we moved 
to Jeandelize. The trees along the road 
are all mined and ready to be exploded. 
We found enough mineral water to last 
the company for some time. It is good 
dope. We have the best quarters we've 
ever had. Beaucoupe souvenirs are here, 
too. 



Nov. 28 — Snow. We have a holiday for 
Thanksgiving Day. We signed the pay- 
roll. We had a dandy dinner. The bunch 
on detached service is getting slum to eat. 
Four men left for Nice on their leave. 
Twenty-five others have orders to go on 
leave. 



Nov. 29 — Cold and Rain. The history de- 
tail is started. Details are out working 
the Shines. Twenty-five leave for the 
permissions, at 4:30 P. M. to Ai.\-la-Bains. 



Nov. 30 — Cold. We now have a half day off 
on Saturdays. It is an A. E. F. order. 
The company receives more mail. 



Dec. 1 — Sunday — Clear and Cool. The com- 
pany is off for the day. In.spection of 
rifles and quarters at 10:00 A. M. \ 
bunch of fellows hike to Metz. Red Cross 
train arrives in town and spreads good 
cheer. 



Dec. 2 — Cold and Clear. Formation at 7:00 
A. M. Details cleaning up town and fix- 
ing the roads. Details return to the 
Pioneer Infantry. Frog artillery passes 
through. 



Dec. 3— Cold and Clear. Formation at 7:00 
o'clock. Details cleaning the town and the 
roads. L. D. has it we are to go home in 
a month. Mail is received. A bunch of 
fellows visit Metz. Ledin visits camp en 
route to Metz. Detail to the crater. 



Dec. 4 — Cold and Damp. Mail is received. 
Pay day. Detail to Etain. Boys salvage 
good rum from a passing train. Details 
cleaning camp. 

Dec. 5 — Cold and Damp. Details around 
camp. Rumors are getting stronger about 



44 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



going home. The supply department is 
checking up our issue. Ban is hfted off 
of Metz for three days. 



Dec. 6 — Cloudy and Foggy. Details work- 
ing around camp. Our service battalion is 
working around Etain and Conflans. Ru- 
mors say that we are to go to Neufcha- 
teau. Lieut. Kern returns from his vaca- 
tion. 



Dec. 7 — Cloudy and Cold. Details same as 
yesterday. Four sergeants leave for leave 
area. 



Dec. 8 — Cold and rain. Inspection was held 
at 9:00 A. M. Lieut. Gerten inspected the 
rear rank. Nobody passes. Lieut. Trax 
is on his vacation Bunch leave for vaca- 
tion. 



Dec. 9 — Cold and Rain. Formation at 7:00 
A. M. Chow is good. Lieut. Kern is in 
charge of camp detail, cleaning up the 
back yards. 



Dec. 10 — Raining hard all day. Formation 
at 5:00 A. M. Stack leaves for Paris for 
work on the Stars and Stripes. Four men 
leave every day for their vacations. 



Dec. 11 — Details around camp cleaning up. 
Rained hard all night. 



Dec. 12 — Cold and Showers. Bunch of fel- 
lows arrive from Nice. President Wilson 
lands at Brest. 



Dec. 13 — Raining hard all day. We are now 
attached to the 2nd Army, and to the 1st 
Battalion of the 2ord. Twenty-four of the 
boys are back from Aix-la-Bains. 



Dec. 14 — Cloudy and Cold. Bunch of fellows 
arrive from their vacations. Murphy re- 
turns from his sojourn in Paris. The 28th 
Division is coming in. A Major and Lieu- 
tenant Colonel dine with us today. 



Dec. 15 — Cold and Showers. The company 
is off today. Ledin arrives in camp with 
a box of souvenirs. They disappear. Part 
of the barracks bags were brought from 
their storage today. 



Dec. 16 — Cold and Rain. Coates is acting 
Top Sergeant. Bunch of mail arrives in 
camp. A bunch of fellows are back from 
Nice. An ammunition dump close to camp 
is set on fire. 



Dec. 17 — Cold and Rain. Mail is received. 
The K. P.'s got a good issue from a pass- 
ing train; flour, ets. A bunch returned 
from their vacations. 



Dec. 18- — Cold and Rain. Bunch of fellows 
leave for Aix la Bains. 



Dec. 19 — Cold and Cloudy. Snow flurries in 
P. M. All barrack bags are brought to 
camp. Raining hard in the evening. 



Dec. 20 — Cold and raining hard all day. Mail 
is received. Rumors are that we are to 
move up to Longuyon. The River Orne 
overflows and covers the valley. 



Dec. 21 — Rain and Cold. The Oi-ne River is 
still getting higher. Mess sergeant is pre- 
paring for the Christmas dinner. 



Dec. 22 — Sunday — Rained hard all day. In- 
spection of rifles and billets was held at 
9:00 A. M. Boys get hell, but all consider 
the source. Daily papers are brought into 
camp. 



Dec. 23— Cold, Rain and High Wind. Detail 
to decorate mess hall for Christmas. The 
mess sergeant at Nancy for Christmas 
supplies. Craighill brings "dope" from 
headquarters that we are to remain over 
here for a long time. The mess sergeant 
returns at 9:00 P. M. with beaucoupe tur- 
key, etc. 



Dec. 24 — Cold and Cloudy. Extra detail pre- 
paring Christmas dinner. The mess ser- 
geant is out rustling spuds. Big plans for 
tomorrow dinner. Started to snow at 9 :30 
P. M. Orders arrive in camp for one-half 
day oft' each day from Dec. 26 to the first 
of the year, inclusive. Details works until 
1 :00 A. M. roasting turkey. 



Dec. 25 — Cold and Snow Flurries. All the 
boys on detached service arrive in camp 
for dinner. Dinner is to be served at 
1:00 P. M. Negroes from the 815th Pio- 
neer Infantry entertain during the dinner 
with songs and dance. Short speeches 
were given by the following men: Lieut. 
Estelle, Lieut. Trax, Lieut. Kei-n, also the 
Captain of Truck Company No. 9 ; Alvord, 
Leber, Murphy and "Sarg." Carter. Christ- 
mas presents were received from the Y. 
M. C. A. and the K. of C. in the form of 
candy and smokes. A truck load of boys 
were invited down to the 815th P. I. for 
a minstrel show Lieut. Gerten also spoke 
during the dinner. 



Dec. 26 — Cold and Cloudy. Formation was 
held at 7:00 A. M. Men out on detached 
service return to their work, taking full 
equipment with them. Lieut. Gerten 
leaves for his vacation. Details work un- 
til noon, the rest of the day is off. Capt. 
Hackett returned to the company today. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



45 



Rumor now has it that we are to be home 
in January. A few of the Christmas pack- 
ages arrived this evening. 



Dec. 27 — Cold and Cloudy. Details out to 
relieve Murphy and Guzzo. Bunch leave 
for Aix-la-Bains. Coutant and Cumber- 
patch return from their extended leave in 
Paris visiting Hard-Boiled Smith. 



Dec. 28 — Cold and raining hard all day. 
Capt. Hackett, Lieuts. Kern and Estell to 
Toul on business. 



Dec. 29 — Rained hard all day. Inspection 
was held at 9:00 o'clock. Maj. Watson 
visits camp. Four men leaving each day 
for their vacations. 



Dec. 30 — Cold and Rain. Mess sergeant to 
Nancy to purchase our New Year's dinner. 
Lieut. Trax leave for the hospital. Col. 
Johnson, formerly of the 23rd, paid a visit 
to a detail at Constine Farm. 



Dec. 31 — Cold and Cloudy. Detail enlarging 
mess hall and building stage. Detail dec- 
orating hall. Turkeys being baked for to- 
morrow dinner. Began raining at 3 :00 
P. M. Boys coming in from detached 
service. Four men leave for Nice. Big 
celebration, noise and fire-works cele- 
brate the New Year. 



Jan. 1 — Clear and Cool. Holiday. No work 
today. Big preparations for dinner. A 
swell feed for the boys. Truck Company 
No. 9 officers dine with our officers. Din- 
ner was served at 1 :00 P. M. Speeches 
were given by Capt. Hackett and others. 
Entertainment by Company "C," 815th 
Pioneer Infantry. They were very good. 
Everybody enjoyed the dinner and ate the 
limit. Fine supper was served the boys in 
the evening. 'The mess hall was decorated 
for the occasion. 



Jan. 2 — Clear Day. Cold and windy. Men 
return to detached service. Rumors that 
we shall move Monday. Twenty bags of 
mail containing Christmas packages arrive 
today. Four boys left for Nice. German 
officers bring a bunch of locomotives 
through Jeandelize to be delivered to the 
Allies. Orders come for a detachment of 
men to report to the Service Battalion at 
Bras. Cameron. Frost and Ament return 
from the R. 0. T. C. 3rd Looeys or Dove- 
tails. 



Jan. 3 — Cold and Showers. The detachment 
left for Bras. Battalion Headquarters 
move tomorrow Four men leave for Nice. 



Capt. Hackett is sick in bed. Boys get 
their Christmas packages. 



Jan. 4 — Clear, Cold and Windy. Leaves are 
called off. Capt. Baker visits camp. We 
are to move Monday to Billy-sur-Man- 
giennes. 



Jan. 5 — Sunday — Stormy and Wind. Ter- 
ribly cold. Inspection of rifles and billets 
at 9:00 P. M. Pay day. Terribly stormy 
this evening. 



Jan. 6 — Cold and Cloudy. Breakfast was 
served at 6:00 A. M. Trucks are packed 
and we started for Billy. We arrived 
there at noon. Boys hunt quarters and 
fix them up. Big bunch arrive from Aix- 
la-Bains. Dinner at 3:15 P. M. No sup- 
per. Started to rain at 4 P. M. and rained 
hard all evening. 



Jan. 7 — Cold and Fair. Detail fixing up 
camp. Company "A" salvages one Hun 
locomotive. Detail sees about putting in 
electric lights. Mail is received. Com- 
pany "A" indoor sport ; killing time. 



Jan. 9 — Cold and Rain. Detail salvages a 
couple of gasoline locomotives. A detail is 
working on bath house. Doctor Shaffer, 
Dentist, is assigned to our company. 



Jan. 8 — Cold and Fair. Detachments out to 
own property here visit town. Detail wir- 
ing houses. Electric lights were turned 
on at 5:00 P. M. Schedule for electric 
lights: 4:00 A. M. to 8 A. M. and 4:00 
P. M. to 10:30 P. M. The bath house is 
almost completed. 



Jan. 10 — Fair and Cold. Lieut. Gerten re- 
turns from his vacation. Details are all 
working hard????? Bath house is com- 
pleted and working fine. Our railroad de- 
partment has salvaged another locomotive, 
making us two locomotives and two gas 
engines. We now have a big railroad sys- 
tem, e'ectric light plant and bath house. 
The power plant was out for a while this 
evening. 



Jan. 11 — Cold and Cloudy. Detail out over- 
hauling new locomotive. Starting snow- 
ing at 10:30 A. M. Rained all afternoon. 
Inspection by Lieut. Gerten. Sandusky is 
informed that he is not running this 
army. (Gertie was.) 



Jan. 12— Sunday— Cold and Cloudy. The 
company is off. Inspection of guns and 
quarters was held. Our proposed Sunday 
excursion to Longuyon was called off. 
Snow and sleet this morning. The bath 



46 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



house is in full blast. Transportation de- 
partment salvages a Ford. The owners 
hunted for it and finally got it. A Red 
Cross show to be here next Saturday 
night. 



Jan. 13 — Cold and Cloudy. Details are out 
with the Pioneer Infantry. Court martial 
of three of the boys is held. Detail sal- 
vages a new electric plant. Issue of candy 
from the Q. M. Second issue. Six boys 
back from vacation. 



Jan. 14 — Cold and Drizzling Rain. Details 
cleaning up town. French artillery passes 
through en route to the frontier. Our 
rolling stock composed of five locomo- 
tives, two gas motors, one speedster and 
twenty gravel cars. One train crew re- 
ports to Etain to haul gravel for the Pio- 
neer Infantry. Lieut. Trax returns from 
the hospital. Gerten salvages beaucoupe 
chocolate for the company. 



Jan. 15 — Cold and Rain. Rained all night. 
Officers start their own mess at the Cha- 
teau. Cady is cooking for them. Ober- 
wetter and Walker with train crew take 
gravel to Etain. Mail is received. Boys 
come back from leave. Railroad detail 
salvages beaucoupe locomotives. 



Jan. 16 — Fair and Cold. Railroad and elec- 
tric details out to work. Talk is given by 
the doctor. Coates reads us the Articles 
of War. The company photographer is 
out getting pictures of No Man's Land 
around Verdun. 

Jan. 17 — Cold and Rain. Railroad detail is 
building a spur to the bath house. A de- 
tail is cleaning up the streets. Inspection 
of billets by Lieut. Gerten. 



Jan. 18 — Cold and Cloudy. Company works 
one-half day. Inspection of rifles and 
quarters was held at 2:30 P. M. Details 
on detached service return to camp. A 
big show is to be given tomorrow night. 

Jan. 19 — Sunday — Cold and Cloudy. No for- 
mation. All details are in camp. Bog- 
show tonight. Many oflficers are visiting- 
camp. Bunch in from 1st Batallion H(ad 
quarters and a wagon company. Evacua- 
tion Hospital No. 15 puts on an excellent 
show. The hall is crowded. Rained hard 
during the night. 



Jan. 20 — Cold and Cloudy. Men on detached 
service return to their work. A bunch of 
fellows leave for Nice to day, going from 
Spincourt. Railroad crews assigned. One 
crew leaves for Etain today. Paul Kolf 



and Joe Shirley, of Engineer Headquar- 
ters, 1st Army, formerly of Company 
"A," visit camp. 



Jan. 22 — Fair and Cold. The train crew that 
left on the 20th returned to camp this 
morning, having been lost two days in No 
Man's Land. Lieut. Gerten breaks his leg- 
in a motorcycle accident. Pitman escapes 
injury. 



Jan. 23 — Cold and Fair. Lieut. Gerten is 
taken to a hospital. Pitman is presented 
with an Iron Cross. Company details are 
out to work. 



Jan. 24 — Cold and Clear. Sergt. Johnson 
and Bob Stack depart for Regimental 
Headquarters to publish this week's High- 
wayman. The Regimental Band gives a 
concert. Men on detached service arrive 
in camp. Our second service stripes are 
due today. 



Jan. 25 — Cold and Cle^r. Signed the pay 
roll. The Regimental Band gave another 
concert this levening. It was very good. 
We stood inspection at 2:00 P. M.' A lot 
of K. P. material was found. 



Jan. 26— Sunday— Clear and Cold. Started 
to snow in the afternoon. An inch and a 
half fell before night. The band left this 
morning for 1st Battalion Headquarters. 
Men on detached service return to their 
work. The sergeants stage a brilliant stag- 
party. 



Jan. 27 — Cold and Clear. Snow on the ground. 
The train crew makes 90 kilometers to- 
day. Everyone has to stand the morning- 
formation. Dixie and Bob Grey have sal- 
vaged their last. L. D. has it that we are 
going home in April. Apple cobbler for 
supper. 



Jan. 28 — Cold and Clear. The train crew is 
working late hours. Camp details are out 
to work. 



Jan. 29 — Clear and Cool. Snow is still on 
the ground. Woolsey returns from de- 
tached service. A gymnasium is being 
built for indoor athletics. Col. Kerr and 
Lieut. Col. Wing visit camp. 



Jan. 30 — Cold. Snow flurries. Details out 
to work. Bath house is to be open from 
Friday noon continually till Sunday at 
8:00 P. M. 

Jan. 31 — Cold and Snow Flurries. Railroad 
has stopped running on account of fuel. 
Camp details : Wood, train crew and elec- 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



47 



trical. Owing to the scarcity of coal, char- 
coal is being used. Passes are in order 
again, and they may be obtained to other 
countries under a new G. H. Q. order. 



Feb. 1 — Cold and Snow. Camp details 
worked during the morning. The com- 
pany stood inspection of rifles m their 
billets at 2:00 P. M. An entertainment 
in the evening in our theatre. It was very 
good. Lots of excitement in camp tonight. 
Parties concerned are put under guard. 
Our new electric plant commenced opera- 
tion this evening. 



Feb. 2 — Sunday — Cold and Snow Flurries. 
No details out. It is a day off for the 
company. The visitors are escorted out of 
town this morning. Bob Stack returns 
from the S. 0. S. with rumors that we are 
to leave for home next month. 



Feb. 3 — Cold and Snow Flurries. Camp de- 
tails and train crew out to work. Five 
men return from Nice. The basket ball 
floor is nearlv finished. 



Feb. 4 — Cold and Clear. Camp detail and 
train crew out to work. More men return 
from their leaves at Nice. Our electricians 
install two street lights. One on the cor- 
ner at the mess hall and the other at the 
oft'ice. The company photographer is very 
busy. 



Feb. 5 — Cold, Snow Flurries and High Wind. 
Details the same as yesterday. Our "gym" 
is finished this evening. We had the first 
try-out for the basket ball team. Twenty- 
five men were out for the big team. A 
game was played. We have promises of a 
good team. Mail is received. Jimmie Mc- 
Cormick returns to the company. 



Feb. 6 — Cold and Clear. Snow is on the 
ground. Camp details are out. Forma- 
tion was held after supper to warn the 
men of gas caused by the blowing up of 
German ammunition dumps. 



Feb. 7 — Cold and Clear. Camp details out. 
Pay day. Basket ball practice in the 
"gym" this evening. 



Feb. 8 — Cold and Clear. Snow on the ground. 
Camp details out in the morning. Inspec- 
tion of rifles and billets was held at 2:00 
P. M. Capt. Hackett tells the boys of the 
athletic program. Capt. Hackett and 
Lieut. Estell inspect quarters. First Bat- 
talion Headquarters and Company "A" 
play the first game. Company "A" win- 
ning by a score of 44-2. After the game, 
educational movies were shown. About 



half a dozen men saw it through. Three- 
day passes to Paris are in order. Milli- 
gan leaves for Scotland to get married. 
Our first romance. 



Feb. 9 — Sunday — Cold and Clear. Snow on 
the ground. The company is oft today, 
except necessary details. The boys are all 
out hunting rabbits and quail. Maj. Wat- 
son and Capt. Davy visit camp. 



Feb. 10— Clear and Cold. Capt. Hackett 
talks to the company about the support 
of the Highwayman, the regimental pa- 
per. The matter is to be voted on by the 
company later. Detail around camp. A 
detail is blasting frozen ground for a gar- 
bage dump with Hun hand grenades. The 
basket ball team is practicing every even- 
ing. 



Feb. 11 — Clear and Cold. Snow on the ground. 
Details are out to work . Several basket 
ball teams are being organized in the 
company, and a series of games will be 
played as follows : The first game this 
afternoon, the cooks beat the office force, 
11-8; the Dynamiters beat the Railroad- 
ers, 13-2: the History beat the Transpor- 
tation, 13-9. Bjorkman and Ellington star. 



Feb. 12 — Clear and Cold. Snow on the ground. 
It is Lincoln's Birthday. Details are out 
to work. Terribly cold all day. Hart, 
W. D., is transferred to Wagon Company 
No. 5. 

Feb. 13 — Clear and Cold. Men are to be 
given a chance to attend school. Either 
French or English universities. The com- 
pany basket ball team receives a challenge 
from the 815th Pioneer Officers for a 
game Saturday evening, bringing beau- 
coupe francs with them. White, A. P., 
breaks his arm. Mail is received. 



Feb. 14 — Cloudy and Cold. It is Valentine 
Day. Detai's are out to work. Rain in 
the afternoon and evening. Rumor has it 
that we are to be relieved soon by the 
20th Engineers. The company team is 
practicing for the big game Saturday 
night. 



Feb. 15 — Cloudy and Rain. Col. Johson 
visits camp. The 815th Pioneer Officers 
got lost and did not arrive until 8:00 P. 
M. Capt. Baker, of Company "B," visits 
camp. A .sergeants' meeting was held this 
evening. Mail arrives. Men on detached 
service are in. Company "A" basket ball 
team wins, 51-5. Two "Y" girls entertain. 
Rotten. 



48 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



Feb. 16 — Sunday — Cloudy and rain. The 
company is off. Signed the pay-roll. Bas- 
ket ball practice. 

Feb. 17— Cloudy and Cold. A formation at 
7:00 A. M. At formation the men are 
given a chance to remain in France. None 
of the boys sign up. Post cards are 
handed to the company to write home to 
their folks or relatives. Details hauling 
coal from Spincourt. Rains all afternoon. 



Feb. 18 — Cloudy and Rain. Formation was 
held at 7:00 A. M. "Dopey" Johnson from 
Headquarters arrives in camp and tells us 
that we are to sail in March. One-half 
day off for the company. Boys all go to 

the "gym." Detail goes after coal. Trouble 
with the French. Stack leaves for Nancy 
to write up Company "A" Highwayman. 



Feb. 19 — Cloudy and Cold. Details are out 
to work. The company basket ball team 
is practicing for their big game with 
Company "B" Saturday afternoon. Neely's 
All Stars play the company team. Detail 
is hauling gravel and fixing up around the 
kitchen. 



Feb. 20— Cloudy and Cold. Rained all night. 
Details are out to work. The company 
team wins from Neely's All Stars, 30-2. 
The History team beats the Cooks and 
K. P.'s by 20-6. A salvage detail blows 
up Hun ammunition dump near camp. 



Feb. 21 — Cold and Cloudy. Rains hard dur- 
ing the night. Company "B" will be here 
Saturday. Boxing, wrestling and basket 
ball will be pulled off'. Mail is received. 
Buffington and Pond go to Headquarters. 



Feb. 22 — Cold and Rain. Rained hard all 
night. Breakfast was served at 7 :00 
o'clock. Formation at 8:00 o'clock. The 
company is oft' for the day. Company "B" 
arrives at 11:30 A. M. Greiner, Cort and 
Hungry visit camp. The boxing match 
is lost to the 21st Engineers. Wrestling 
match goes to Company "B". Company 
"A" wins basket ball game from Company 
"B" with score of 37-5. Boys are enter- 
tained in the evening by four of the 11th 
Engineers and two "Y" girls. Lieut. 
Hampton, formerly of Company "A," vis- 
its camp. 



Feb. 23 — Sunday — Cloudy and Cold. Forma- 
tion was held at 7:00 o'clock. Lieut. Kern 
and Lieut. Estell leave for Toul. Rumors 
are thick that we are going home soon. 
Indoor sports: Throwing Hun hand gre- 
nades for distances. 



Feb. 24 — Cloudy and Cold. Details are all 
out to work. Lieut. Trax is in charge of 
camp. Capt. Hackett is at Headquarters. 
Stack returned from Nancy with a copy of 
Ted Walker's Highwayman. Milligan re- 
turns to camp a benedict. 



Feb. 25 — Cold and Rain. Lieut. Trax goes 
to Battalion Headquarters. Medical in- 
spection and noon formation. Capt. Hack- 
ett returns from Headquarters. Lieut. 
Kern and Lieut. Estell return from Toul. 



Feb. 26 — Cold, Cloudy and Showers. For- 
mation at 7:00 o'clock. Details are out to 
work. Weather cleared up in the after- 
noon ; the sun shone. Mail arrives. The 
Verdun basket ball team fails to show up. 



Feb. 27 — Cold and Rain. Details ai-e out to 
work. Lots of French are moving into 
town every day. Company oft' half day 
for athletics. Candy was issueed at noon 
mess. 



Feb. 28 — Cold and Cloudy. Snow flurries. 
Detail to work. Some A. S. officers visit 
camp. 



March 1 — Cold and Fair. Details work half 
day. Company off. Rifle inspection at 
2 :00 P. M. Basket ball scrimmage among 
various company teams. Lieuts. Estell 
and Kern leave for Nancy. Mail. 



March 2 — Cold and Raining. Sunday forma- 
tion at 8:00 A. M. Burleaud, Stalker and 
Roy Hart leave for Sarbonne University, ' 
Paris. Stack and Thompson for Montpe- 
lier University, and Steele for Oxford 
University, England. Six out of thirty- 
two Company "A" applicants as against 
seventy-two men from other battalions 
were allowed to take these four month 
courses. One detachment left to herd 
"Heinies" (P. G.'s) at Verdun. 



March 3 — Cold and Raining. Details work 
half day. 



March 4 — Cold and Cloudy. No work, ex- 
cept for permanent details. 



March 5 — Cloudy and Cold. Formation at 
7:30 A. M. P. I. Colonel informs us we 
have to drill. Company basket ball team 
journeys to Conflans tomorrow. Mail. 
Capt. Baker of Company "B" in camp. 



March 6 — Cold and Raining. Rained hard 
all night. Bunch are to go to Paris on 
leaves. Part of company out to drill at 
4 P. M. Maj. Watson visits camp. Com- 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



49 



pany basket ball team to Conflans. De- 
feat the 341st Infantry team, 18-8. 



March 7 — Cold and Cloudy. Bunch are to 
leave for A. E. F. School (Beaune) today. 
Drill at 4 P. M. 



March 8— Cold and Cloudy. Drill at 11:30. 
Inspection at 2 P. M. Bunch on detached 
service coming back for shoes. Guns, 
bayonets and ammunition handed m. 



March 9 — Cold and Cloudy. Formation at 
8:00A. M. Showers Sunday. 56th Infan- 
try show arrived at 11:00 P. M. Lieuts. 
Estell and Kern go to Nancy for the day. 
56th sure put on good show. Capt. Davy 
visits camp. Big reception (?). 



March 10 — Cold and Cloudy. Formation at 
7:30. Details out to work. Company "I" 
bring their basket ball team here Satur- 
day. Maj. Anderson of Medical Corps 
visits camp today. Drilled at 4:15 P. M. 



March 11 — Cold and Cloudy. First call at 
6:00 A. M. Reveille at 6:15. Details out 
to work. "Sarg" Carter present, with a 
haircut. Short arm. Drill and hike. 



March 12 — Clear and cold. First call at 6:00 
A. M. Reveille at 6:15. Details out to 
work. Capt. Baker in camp. 

March 13 — Cold and Cloudy. Afternoon off. 
No drill. Detachment to Conflans. 



March 14 — Cold and Clear. Mail. Regular 
details. "Y" gives entertainment, "The 
Jazz Five." Rumors we are to move to 
Etain next week. Company basket ball 
team to play the 5th Division. 



March 15 — Cold, Frosty and Cloudy. De- 
tails out to work. Drill at 11:30. In- 
spection at 2:00 P. M. Men coming in 
from detached service. No basket ball 
game. Lieut. Trax goes to Nancy. 



March 16— Cold and Cloudy. Reveille at 
7:20 A. M. Formation at 8:30. New- 
bunch going out on detached service. 



March 17 — Cold and Showers. St. Patrick's 
Day. Details out to work. Mess Sergt. 
McCormick brings in reading material, our 
first batch. Three men transferred to our 
company. One Sergeant made. Details 
from Belgium and Meuse move back to 
camp. No drill. Flurries of snow. Irish 
celebrate. Company officers move. 



March 18 — Cold and Flurries of Snow. Rev- 
eille at 6:00 A. M. Details to Etain and 



Pierpont. They are to build barracks. De- 
tails loading barracks in this camp and 
hauling them to Etain. 



March 19— Cold and Frosty. Details to 
Etain. Camp details. Basket bail game 
tonight. Team that was to play us did 
not show up. SOME COLD. 



March 20 — Cold and Snow. Heavy snowfall 
all day. 



March 21— Cold and Cloudy. Details to 
Etain and Pierpont. Very cold all day. 
Company basket ball team left Toul to 
play Company "1" for regimental cham- 
pionship. Cook detail did not get back to 
camp. 

March 22 — Cold and Cloudy. Details to 
work at Etain. Some sore — no work. 
Took a big trip to celebrate. Baroncourt 
and Pienne — cook detail still out. Small 
detachment to Toul. Lieut. Estell still in 
charge. Still very cold. Company basket 
ball team wins regimental championship 
from Company "I", 36-26, also beaucoupe 
francs. 



March 23 — Cold and Cloudy. Formation at 
8:30. Two details to saw wood and get 
water. Boys returned from Toul after 
celebrating championship. 13th Engi- 
neers entertain this evening. Very good. 
Mail. 



March 24 — Cold and Rain. Details to Etain 
and Pierpont. Rained hard all day. Sergt. 
Yake and detail move to Etain. 



March 25 — Cold and Raining. Detail to 
Pierpont. French woman is cooking for 
detail . Sure good eats. Mail. Detail at 
Etain building barracks. 



March 26 — Cold and Raining. Detail to 
Pierpont. Raining hard all day. Company 
"A" wins basket ball game from Truck 
No. 2, 36-16. Rumors that war is about 
to begin. 



March 27 — Cold and Snowing. Detail to 
Pierpont. Snowed hard most of day. De- 
tail is sure feeding .swell. Detail stays 
all night at Pierpont. 



March 28 — Cold and Snowing. Very cold all 
day. Detail to Pierpont. Show tonight 
by some "Y" girls. Did not make much 
of a hit. 

March 29 — Cold and Cloudy. Snowed all 
day long. Sure was terrible cold. Detail 



50 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



to Pierpont. Water and wood detail in 
camp. Mail. 



March 30 — Cold and Snowing. Formation 
at 6:30. No work today. French mov- 
ing back to town. Company rumors are 
that we shall be home next month. 
Snowed hard all day. 



March 31 — Cold and Clear. Snow on the 
ground. Terrible cold all day. Details to 
Pierpont. Truck 9 has plenty in canteen. 



April 1 — Cold and Clear. Terrible cold all 
day. Detail to Pierpont. Snowing to- 
day while the sun is shining. Good eats 
these days. Mail. 



April 2 — Clear and Cold. Detail to Pier- 
pont. Finished work there today. De- 
tail stiades garden for an old French 
woman. Returned to Billy at 3 :30. Or- 
ders are in that we are to move to Le 
Mans. Everybody happy tonight. 



April 5 — Clear and Warm. Details working 
around camp. Lieut. Trax leaves for 
Paris. Orders from Headquarters regard- 
ing the number of cars wanted by our 
company. Boys all celebrate tonight. 



April 6 — Clear and Warm. Details working 
around camp preparing for dej^arture. 
"Y" Four puts on a good show. Violinist 
and singer are exceptionally fine. Boys 
celebrate tonight. 



April 7 — Cloudy and Cool. Details working 
around camp packing up. Details from 
Longuyon and Etain return today. o04th 
Engineers put on a good show tonight. 
Sure to hit the officers. 



HOMEWARD-BOUND 



April 8 — Clear and Cold. Details packing up 
all company supplies. Details out woi"k- 
ing have all returned. Everybody happy. 
Train crews from Etain return. Have 
been there since Jan. 15 hauling road ma- 
terial, lumber and track. 



April 9 — Clear and Cool. Everybody up 
early. Details all busy. Trucks take our 
baggage to Spincourt. Company has sup- 
per and leave Billy at 6:00 P.M. Boys 
fix up cars, swipe hay from French and 
have to pay dear for it. Electrical detail 
wire the cars for the trip. 



April 10 — Clear and Cool. Company up at 
6:30. Breakfast at 7:00 A. M. Left Spin- 
court at 9:00 A. M. Pass through Con- 
flans, Port-a-Moussion. Find Truck No. 1 



and Company "C" at Gond-a-Court. Boys 
.salvage 11 kegs of beer. Electric lights 
are working good. Rained hard this even- 
ing. 



April 11 — Clear and Warm. Travel all day, 
passing through Eperney, Chalons, Dor- 
mans, Chateau Thierry and Noisy-le-Sec. 
Had supper there and then proceeded 
around Paris. Only served two meals to- 
day. Eats are good. 



April 12 — Cold and Raining. Side tracked 
in car yards northeast of Paris. Leave 
here at noon for Le Mans. Sure did have 
swell eats today. Saw the Eifi'el Tower 
and Ferris Wheel. 



April 1:5 — Rain and Cold. Rained all morn- 
ing, cleared up about noon. Left Le Mans 
and came to Belgian camp. Was assigned 
to Barracks 61-62-63. This camp is like 
Camp Meade. Details are to go out on 
road work tomorrow. Mail. 

April 14 — Plaining and Cold. Company up 
at 6:00 o'clock. Breakfast early and out 
to work on road. Rains hard all day long. 
Detail building road to rifle range. K. C.'s, 
"Y.'s" and Commissaries thick. 

April 15 — Raining and Cold. Rained hard 
all day long. Company detail building 
road and working hard. The promise is 
that when finished they are released from 
all work. Rumors that we are to go home 
the 1st. Medical inspection today. Issue 
of candy and cookies. 



April 16 — Cold and Cloudy. Rained for a 



while and then cleared 
tail working on road, 
signed to part of our 
gravel. Company has 
day. Rumor of going 
on passes all return, 
turns to company. 



up. Company de- 
Trucks are as- 
company, hauling 
picture taken to- 
home soon. Boys 
Lieut. Sleight re- 



April 17 — Clear and Warm. Company work- 
ing on road. One-third are to get their 
3 in 1 shot. Details are doing great work 
on the road. Boys that took shot sure are 
some sick tonight. Mail. 



April 18 — Cold and Showers. Company 
working on the road and driving trucks. 
Mail. Rumors that we go home next 
month. 



April 19 — Clear and Warm. Company work- 
ing on road. One-half day off. Candy 
issue today. Boys get their 3 in 1 shot. 
Company "C" beats Company "A" 3-2, 
baseball. Mail. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



51 



April 20 — Cool and Fair. Company off to- 
day. Passes issue to Le Mans. Eggs for 
breakfast. Boys get 3 in 1 shot. 



April 21 — Clear and Cold. Details on road, 
road roller and trucks. Beaucoup officers 
inspect kitchen. Tei'rible cold all day. 
Moving pictures at "Y". Big bunch on 
sick list. 



April 22 — Cold and Clear. Details out to 
work. Mail. Rumors are that we leave 
the 15th of next month. 



April 23 — Clear and Warm. Details out to 
work. Mail. 



April 24 — Clear and Cold. Details out to 
woi'k. Rumors are that we ai'e to be re- 
lieved tomorrow, also that the 1st, 3rd 
and 4th Batalions are to go home together. 



April 25 — Clear and Cool. Details out to 
work. Rumors flying thick and fast about 
going home. Mail. 



April 26 — Clear and Cold. Details out to 
work. Company works all day. 

April 27 — Sunday — Cle-ir in A. M. Rained 
hard all afternoon. Day off for company. 
Big bunch go to Le Mans. Cold all day. 



April 28 — Cloudy and Cold. Rained and 
snowed today. Formation of company to- 
day into squads and battalions. Detail 
out to work. One-third company oft' to 
wash packs and equipments. 



April 29 — Cold and Raining. One-third of 
company oft'. Detail working on road. In- 
spe:;tion of company by Colonel next Sun- 
day. Mail. 



April 30— Clear and Cold. Detail out to 
work. Big discussion over our service 
records. Mail. Issue of chocolate and 
oranges. 

May 1 — Cold and Showers. Raining off and 
on all day long. Details still at work on 
road and driving trucks. Formation at 
6:00 P. M. Manual of arms. Boys send- 
ing all their souvenirs home. 



May 2 — Cold and Showers. Details out to 
work. Orders are that we are to be re- 
lieved the 15th. Company drill this even- 
ing in the rain. Sure made the boys sore. 
Orders are to drill of a morning 7:10 to 
7:30. Bob Gray leaves for Paris to join 
the Food Commission. 



May 3 — Cold and Rain. Rained all day long. 
Detail out to work. Inspection tomorrow. 



Sergt. McCormick takes charge of kitchen. 
Mike and the bunch return from their 
trip to Dinard. Company drill at 7 :00 
A. M. Pay day. 



May 4 — Sunday — Clear and Cool. Company 
off. Company inspected by Col. Kerr and 
staff'. Notice posted for big inspection 
Tuesday. Twenty per cent of company go 
to Le Mans. SOME of the sergeants cele- 
brate. 



May 5 — Clear and Cold. One-third of com- 
pany off today. Rest of company doing 
maintenance work on Le Mans-Belgian 
Camp Road. Gen. Pershing visits rifle 
range today. Company boys away to 
Beaune return. Grulj is pretty rotten. 

May 6 — Clear and Warm. Company is in- 
spected by Lieut. Col. Wing and Maj. 
Baker. Company out to work after in- 
spection. "Whiz Bang" Follies tonight at 
"Y". Pretty good. 



May 7— -Clear and Hot. Sure was hot all 
day long. Officer inspectors sure pester 
the kitchen. Company out on mainte- 
nance work. Rumors are that we embark 
at St. Nazaire. Mail. Kaylor and Cap- 
tain representing our company in the rifle 
shoot. 



May 8 — Clear and Hot. Company out on 
maintenance work. Kaylor fell down in 
the shoot. Rumors are that we are to go 
to Issur-Tile. Order to turn in all extra 
equipment. Big inspection tomorrow. 



May 9 — Clear and Hot. Company stands in- 
spection. Mail. Company drill this after- 
noon. Sergt. Carter transferred. Some 
of the boys go on a three-day vacation. 



May 10 — Cloudy and Warm. Company work 
one-half day and have inspection. Boys 
play baseball this afternoon. Rained hard 
from 2:00 to 6:00. Mail. 



May 11 — Cloudy and Warm. Mothers' Day. 
Company off'. All the men writing home. 
Company inspection by Kern. Boys re- 
fused passes to Le Mans on account of 
barracks being dirty. 

May 12 — Clear and Hot. Company drill to- 
day. Terrible hot all day. 1st Battalion 
gives dance tonight. Mail. 



May 13 — Clear and Hot. Company drill this 
morning. 1st Battalion dance was a grand 
success. Oranges and apples issued to 
company. All passes called off. 



52 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



May 14 — Clear and Hot. Inspection of com- 
pany with packs and then made to drill. 
Bunch sine was sore. Terrible hot all day. 
Orders that we are to leave Friday morn- 
ing. Boys hold a big meeting outside of 
"Y" hut. Songs and speach by the boys. 

May 16 — Cloudy and Cool. Company up at 
4:00 o'clock. Breakfast at 5:30. Left 
Belgian camp at 6:45. Pack on. Eight 
mile hike. Line of march : Band, Regi- 
mental Headquarters, 1st Battalion Head- 
quarters, Companies "A", "B" and "C", 
18 Trucks. Mail. Arrived there at 11:00 
o'clock. Company drill this afternoon. 
Regiment to be reviewed by Gen. Per- 
shing tomorrow. 

May 17 — Clear and Hot. Company up early 
preparing for review. Marched down to 
review ground about 10:00 o'clock. Sol- 
diers there. Gen. Pershing arrives at 
10:00 o'clock. Review begins immediate- 
ly. Gen. Pershing compliments Captain 
on appearance of his men. Makes a speech 
to the men. Terrible hot all day long. 

May 18 — Cloudy and Cool. Band concert at 
3:00 o'clock. Gun inspection. Medical in- 
spection. Ball game between Company 
"C" of 1st Battalion and Company "K" 
of 4th Battalion. Company "C" wins by 
score of 5-3. Mike gets tossed in the 
blanket. Big argument between Battal- 
ions. Band concert this evening. 

May 19 — Cloudy and Hot. Final pack in- 
spection by Embarkation Ofticers. "All 
men" must have dubbing and shoe laces 
to go home. 1st Battalion plays 3rd 
Wagon Truck. Wins, 7-1. 

May 20 — Clear and Hot. Company up 
early and packed ready for entraining. 
Tents inspected by camp officers. Dinner 
and hike for train at 1:45 P. M. Sure 
was hot as hell and dusty. Left for Brest 
at 4:30 P. M. Regimental Headquarters, 
1st Battalion Headquarters, Companies 
"A", "B" and C" and Wagon Truck 1, 
2, 3, 4. We pass through one beautiful 
country. Everybody along route wishing 
use "bon voyage." 56 men assigned com- 
pany. Sure some crowded. Boys singing- 
ail evening. 

May 21--Cloudy and Cold. Not much sleep 
last night. No breakfast this morning. 
Arrived in Brest at 11:30. Had dinner. 
Left Brest at 12:15 and hiked over six 
kilos to Camp Pontagen. Rain most of 
way out. Assigned tents with beds and 
mattresses. Six men assigned to a tent. 
Cookies, chocolate and cigarettes issued 
to the men by company. 



May 22 — Clear and Cool. Company up early. 
Company goes to the delouser and get 
new clothes. Sure SOME efficiency here. 
March back to camp. Formation and in- 
struction how to roll the new packs. Red 
Cross bags issued. Detail goes to work 
in the kitchen 15. Medical inspection. 
Company hands in their French money to 
change to U. S. money. Cold this evening. 

May 23 — Clear and Hot. Up early. Break- 
fast. Company to preliminary inspection 
of packs. Medical inspection. Rifle cov- 
ers issued. Terrible hot. Final inspection 
of packs this afternoon. Mail. Company 
hands in mackinaws. Fatigue clothes is- 
sued. "Gertie" visits camp. 

May 24— Clear and Hot. Detail of 100 men 
out to work. One detail working a sewer. 
Sure was a terrible stinking job. Details 
clearing up around negro barracks. They 
sure are rubbing it in on the details. 
Boys were sore but did not say a word. 
Boys get their money in U. S. coin. 

May 25 — Clear and Warm. Foggy all morn- 
ing. Clears up at noon. Terrible hot this 
afternoon. Company off. 

May 26 — Clear and Hot. Company sends 
out details this morning. Company or- 
dered to "stand by." 1st Battalion, 23rd, 
play 1st Battalion of 21st. Ends in a 

I'OW. 

May 27 — Clear and Hot. Part of company 
out to work. Medical inspection. Officers 
of 23rd beaten by officers of 316th, 19-18. 
Capt. Hackett knocks a home run with 
two on bases. Details made to work hard. 
Officers rag them because they are not 
'doing more. Non-coms made today. 

May 28 — Cloudy and Cool. No details out 
to work. 1st Battalion plays 3rd Bat- 
talion. 3rd wins, 9-2. Beaucoupe dollars 
change hands. Sailing oi'ders come today. 
We are to "sand by" at 9 o'clock tomor- 
row, ready to leave at any time. Com- 
pany turns in fatigue clothes and blankets. 

May 29 — Clear and Warm. Company up 
early. Police around town. 9:30 orders 
come to leave. Band leads march. Regi- 
mental Headquarters, 1st Battalion Head- 
quarters, Companies "A", "B" and "C", 
3rd Headquarters G. H. I and 4th K. L. M. 
March to docks at Brest and go aboard 
at 11:10. Red Cross issue us gum, cigar- 
ettes, jam, chocolate, cookies, smoking to- 
bacco. Company assigned to F deck in 
the old English lime juicer Winifredian. 
Sleep in hammocks. 3 :00 o'clock weigh 
anchor and depart to God's country. Com- 
panv "A" put on guard. SAME OLD 
DOPE. 

WE'RE HERE! 



54 



COMPANY "A" 2?,rd ENGINEERS 




^ ' £ ?T Li^ ClJErtl?t 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 55 



'*By The Grace of God" 

If you are of a theologian nature, or a psychologist, or a futurist, 
or a soldier, read on; if not, pass on. 

"By the Grace of God" is not the name of this story, nor the moral. 
It is my personal answer. Moreover, this is not a story. In fact it is 
just food for thought. 

Due to what strange fate has the ghost of chance, sorted out from 
these two million some odd men over here, our company from the list 
of casuals? Stop to reason! Think! Apply all theories! 

It is needless for me to state or itemize the dangers we endured. 
For instance, there was the plank detour in the First Argonne Drive. 
The doughboys had advanced and dug in. The artitlery then puffed 
up and started for a new position. The Huns counter-attacked. The 
doughboys held against odds. They called for the artillery. Where was 
the artillery? 

Jerry in his resisting retreat had mined and blown the road. This 
road, the main artery leading through the Argonne Forest towards 
Sedan, was totally closed to all traffic. Here piled up, was the artil- 
lery. Yes, for kilometers back, artillery and ammunition trucks were 
stalled. Further back were ambulances and ration trucks, waiting 
impatiently. 

The Heinies, predicting such a tie-up, were shelling the road. Iso- 
lated, untaken machine gun nests were pecking away at the slightest 
cigarette gleam or flicker of light. 

What was to be done? Must the doughboys retreat from their 
newly gained positions? But that is strategy of war and a story in 
itself. 

With mighty "Mack" truck loads of material, we Engineers had 
followed on the heels of the doughboys, and long before the approach of 
the first "75s," had been working on a detour around the road crater. 
Ever alertful Fritz — knowing the ways of the Engineers — had not only 
mined the road, but had barb wired and trip wired the approach on 
either side of the road. Not content with this, he placed .small pressure 
trap mines at short intervals in front of the wire. 

Despite these obstacles, a plank detour was laid in short order. 
Mind you — we had worked in the dark. The shells sent over and the 
determined machine guns got more than one man. One piece of artil- 
lery, a "155." missed the plank road we had built but unfortunately 
hit one of the trap mines. Several men were killed, more injured and 
the spent horses disabled. 

Again I put forth the question, what destiny singled out and pro- 
tected our men? 

My company colleagues can easily visualize innumerable cases of 
men to their front, rear, flanks, yes, even in their midst, joining the 
immortal group. Pray may the gold stars forever and ever remind us 
of the honor and glory they deserve. 

Our good fortune was not due to individual or concentrated eflfort, 
nor intellectual superiority on our part. It is beyond me to give a solu- 
tTbn. I merely pass the question on to you. Give it consideration. Oh, 
don't be sidetracked by the opinions of the unbeliever. 

My conclusion is — By the Grace of God. 

SERGT. WESLEY GRAUER. 



56 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 




CTION/ 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 67 



Mandres Quarry 



Along the Toul-Metz Highway, some twenty-five kilometers north 
of Toul, between Mandres and Beaumont, lies Mandres Quarry. When 
the French held the battle line two kilometers to the north, it was used 
as an emergency gun emplacement. But when the Americans took over 
the sector in February, 1918, the roads were in very poor shape, trans- 
portation facilities for bringing stone from the rear were most difficult, 
so it became necessary, in order to repair the roads, to use this small 
abandoned quarry as a source of supply for stone. 

A detail from Company "A", 2ord Engineers, was assigned to this 
job and commenced work on February 26th. Being under shell fire, 
which was new to Americans, it has been the scene of much serious 
excitement — incidents of which I think worthy of account. 

Sergt. Harry Raynor, the night before work began, gave a speech 
to his detail of thirty men on the dangers of the work. And of course 
the next day they were anticipating all kinds of ghastly fates as they 
swung their picks and shovels. Seven men were killed that morning in 
a neighboring town, and along with the various warning signs up to 
the Front, our men were more or less on edge. Wondering, and sus- 
picious of what would happen next. 

The first, second and third days in the quaiTy nothing startling 
happened. Work progressed smoothly. Mule skinners with wagons from 
the' 1st Ammunition Train, 1st Division, did our hauling. Abe Goldstien 
and Scotty Milligan cooked noon mess in the kitchen of the 6th Field 
Artillery. However, on the fourth day, after two Jerries Hew over and 
took a look around, we got a grand reception. Two or three of the 
shells lit within a few feet of the quarry, and a great scramble ensued. 
Men jumped, slid and dove into the dug-outs across the road. Our 
baptism of fire was with full rites and there seemed to be many souls 
with but a single thought — shelter. T. T. Wilson, a fat, wabbling fellow, 
was found perched upon a beam in a watei'-filled dug-out. How he got 
there was a mystery to even himself. He'd slid through a three-foot 
opening and crossed six feet of water without getting a shoe wet. It 
took a plank bridge to get him out. Tom Oskin tried the same stunt 
a few days later and nearly drowned. When all was clear, we got back 
to the rock pile, but great tales were told that evening back in camp. 

Equipment could not be used so near the line, so the work was all 
hand labor. Every day we were shelled. One week regularly around 
10:00 o'clock. The Germans seemed anxious to get us out, and when 
they got persistent about it, we would get out without arguing, return- 
ing as soon as the convincing force ceased. An occasional shell would 
arouse little interest. Several in rapid succession would have efi'ect. 
Ditches and the like became natural sort of attachments. Getting into 
one was like eating good cake. Many stunts were performed. Private 
Bechtel, assisted by the sudden explosion of a shell, one day scaled a 



5S COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 

fourteen-foot face of rock. St. Nazaire to him would have been but a 
sprint. 

In the meantime, despite these interruptions, work went on. Rock 
output increased. An emergency road for the supplies for the line was 
built (the Del Etoile). Other roads were repaired. Sergt. Kern and 
Private Perkins (later sergeant) blasted at night as our artillery fired. 
Perkins' shoulder was broken on one of these trips. The enemy, no 
doubt, took a notion finally to clear us out, for on the night of March 
31st he sent 3,000 gas shells into the sector. The next day the men 
worked in gas masks. By April 3rd the shelling was terrific and or 
April 4th the detail was withdrawn. But the enemy was too late- — 
the race had been won. All the necessary rock for repairs and con- 
struction had been obtained. 

As a matter of fact, the success of the first American offensive 
(St. Mihiel) five months later was due to the wonderful condition of 
these roads . It enabled the sea of men, guns and supplies to push for- 
ward, to the complete surprise and amazement of the enemy. This ex- 
perience of outwitting Jerry was of great value to us later at Chateau 
Thierry and in the Argonne. Yankee stick-to-it-iveness defied the Hun. 
First in small operations like Mandres Quarry and later in larger ones, 
finally smashing the monstrous machine that threatened to enslave the 
world. 

BY ONE OF OUR EARLY SPRINTERS. 



^y 




TOUL SECTOR 
STMIHIEL SALIENT 
i9i8 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



59 



The Royaumeix Quarry 

By Sergt. 1st CI. Paul N. Coates 
Sergt. in charge, March 1 to July 18, 1918. 



Five months alter our country was Hood- 
ed with those urgent appeals and induce- 
ments: "Highway Engineers Wanted!" 
"Enlist in the 23rd!" 'Your Country needs 
Technical Highway Engineers to supervise 
labor battalions and prisoner labor!" etc., 
etc., "A" company of the 23rd were trudg- 
ing into the Forest of La Reine (Burl'>y 
Woods) on the new American Fron^^. north 
of Toul. 

We had traveled many thousanv's of miles 
to fulfill our purpose. From Alaska, the 
Philippines, the Tropics and from all parts 
of the States ; we c.^me in answer to our 
country's call, to build roads in France. Be- 
ing the pioneer technical troops in this sec- 
tor, we found is necessary to obtain our own 
road build iig materials, and transport them 
where needed. 

A hasty reconnaisance of the surrounding 
territory resulted in the location of the 
FJoyaumeix Quarry. On the eastern slope of 
a hill, one hundred and fifty meters east 
of the Menil-la-Tour-Bernicourt Road, near 
the village of Royaumiex, there was found 
an old abandoned quarry, that had been 
opened in twj sections. 

The first section, the northern-most, had 
previously boen worked by the 1st Engi- 
neers. It was in very poor condition, filled 
with spoil and waste stripping, and had very 
lit*^le rock exposed. In justice to the 1st 
Engineers it should be stated that they were 
detailed here, not to operate a quarry, but 
to merely obtain that rock necessary for 
their shelter construction. 

The second and larger section had been 
operated and abandoned by the French. 
From the main line of a sixty-centimeter 
railroad that ran close by, they had run a 
spur up and along the hillside, dug down to 
the rock on either side of this spur, overcast 
the waste, and (juarried the rock by hand. 
They had carried on in this manner until 
they had opened up a hole one hundred and 
fifty feet long and thirty feet wide, which 
was completely littered with spoil. 

Such was the condition of the Royaumeix 
Quarry when Lieut. Sleight and the 5th 
Platoon discovered it, the first day after 
we reached the Toul Front. They immedi- 
ately set about to clean up the waste, but 
on March 1st, after about one week's work, 
the quarry was turned over to Lieut. Staf- 



ford, who with the 1st Platoon and several 
men from the balance of the company, soon 
became known as "The Quarry Detail." 

By this time we knew that we were to 
operate a quarry. We had a definite job to 
do, so we took stock of our situation in or- 
der to adopt the most practical working 
plan. The rock was a very soft crustaceous 
limestone, with the large lime granules so 
common in the Paris Basin district. It lay 
in many thin stratas, and with a general 
dip of ten degrees to the north. The ledge 
had a total thickness of seventy feet. Six 
feet above the bottom of this ledge was a 
thin horizontal stratum, the elevation of 
which, with respect to the narrow gauge 
track, and track approach to the quarry, 
was such as to determine it as the main 
working floor. From this floor there was 
exposed a working face of fourteen feet, 
overlain with seven feet of loose rock and 
earth strippings. 

The demand for our output was found 
to exceed one hundred and fifty tons of 
crushed rock and seventy-five tons of block- 
age daily. A plan of operation was ([uickly 
formulated and, as far as circumstances 
would permit, was diligently prosecuted. 
Our equipment, which had preceded us to 
France, had been scattered over the whole 
Western Front and was in the hands of any 
organization that thought it might come 
in handy. A list of tools and supplies we 
lacked and so urgently needed would have 
made a catalogue of contractors' equipment. 

We found ourselves in ])ossession of sec- 
ond-hand French straight handled shovels, 
crude French picks and stone hammers, and 
an abundance of that stuff which prompted 
us to volunteer. That stuft' has, by mistake, 
been called "Enthusiasm." "By mistake," 
because it has stood the test of adversity 
much better than anything short of "Pa- 
triotism." The patriotism of Americans 
who knew and realized their responsibilities. 
We call it American patriotism accelerated 
by our "Esprit de Corps" which was brought 
about by a full knowledge of the job with 
which we were entrusted. 

This job began by the industrious use of 
those tools, knowledge of which, disclosed 
before the examining oflficers, would have 
barred us from the 23rd Engineers. But 
as eighty per cent of an Engineer's first two 



60 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



years out of college are spent with the pick 
and shovel, we said, "Cest la Guerre!" and 
"carried on." 

It was, at first, impossible to get a team 
through the quarry. The floor was covered 
with isolated ledges of rock and spoil. For- 
tunately there was a demand for the spoil 
for filling around stables and artillery camps 
in that vicinity. Our road details began to 
call for blockage. By handling material 
twice we soon opened up a road for continu- 
ous traffic, and as we loaded spoil into com- 
ijat wagons we uncovered ledges of rock 
which were barred out and loaded onto 
trucks for the road details. In this manner 
we kept pace with the demand for road ma- 
terials, and cleared the floor of the quarry 
so as to receive a mechanical plant which 
was expected. 

The day this plant arrived on a siding a 
kilometer from the quarry, we promised the 
District Engineer in charge of roads that 
we would be ready by March 16th. It was 
then the tenth day. Here things begun to 
improve. It was time they did. We got 
our first supply of American No. 2's. No 
one will forget them. They took about two 
kinks out of our backs. As our tools began 
to come in our organization began to take 
shape. A shipment of cheddits filled our 
need for explosives temporarily. A box of 
detonating caps and a thousand feet of fuse 
enabled us to pay back that we had bor- 
rowed from a French quarry near by. A 
forge and a kit of tools made our blacksmith 
content, and four sets of drill steel kept 
him busy and delighted the drill crews. The 
carpenter detail got busy with a pencil 
sketch and a pile of timbers, and violated 
all the rules of camouflage by building a 
20 cubic meter bin over night, and under 
direct observation of enemy captive balloons. 

Spurs and loading tracks were run in un- 
der the bin and along the face of the quarry. 
Two Forquier portable steam engines and 
two portable jaw crushers were trailed into 
place behind a Mack truck, and machinists 
began tuning them up. We were told that 
the roads in this sector were soon to bear 
the traft'ic of America's first big drive. 
(This was our part of the fight.) Those 
roads needed our rock. In order to get that 
rock we had to remove seven feet of strip- 
ping. Seven feet of stripping on fourteen 
feet of rock. One-third of the material we 
handled was a stripping. We had to get 
ahead with our stripping, or we would have 
had a plant in operation with nothing to 
feed it. 

We called on Capt. Crotty and valiant 
Wagon Company No. 1. The Captain was 
in a sorry plight. Can you imagine a wagon 



company without any long lines? As we 
look back now it surely was a comical sight 
to see a long line skinner astride the off 
horse in an artillery hitch. I have seen 
wandering horse traders with stock more fit 
than that which we were forced to use. 
That stock surely was "well fed up" — on 
war. But, now as I think of it, it was a 
good thing that we didn't have the mules 
with which they were replaced, for those 
mules surely would have broken those nice 
red and green garden plows which were first 
used in the breaking. 

That saying, "All things come to those 
who wait," does not prove true in war. In 
war it is "All things come to those who 
rustle." I proudly admit that what we 
couldn't get by requisition we did get by 
rustling. 

Two good railroader breaking plows, slips 
and wheeled scrapers and more and better 
stock put us at ease with the stripping. 
Team traps were built and much of the 
waste was saved to fill the needs of any or- 
ganization that ran their wagons, carts or 
camions under our traps. 

So crowded were we for room on the floor 
of the quarry that it was found necessary 
to line up the crushers and engines on the 
square with the bins. For this reason the 
crushers were set on the floor level and 
wheelbarrow runways built to them. A 4 
per cent incline was used by these runways 
and they were built so as to be shifted into 
the most convenient position. 

Room enough was left between the crush- 
ers to permit of pits being sunk and the 
crushers re-aligned perpendicular with the 
bins, as soon as enough of the face had been 
shot away to give ample room for their in- 
stallation. 

At 4:15 P. M. of March 15th the first 
was ready, and crushed its first wheelbar- 
row load of rock. On the following day the 
District Engineer of Roads sent in a string 
of Mack trucks and came down to witness 
the first mechanically operated quarry in 
the A. E. F. in operation. (Note — See En- 
ginering News Record of May 16, 1918.) 

This history would not be complete if no 
mention was made of our working condi- 
tions during this busy period of installa- 
tion. From the beginning we were too busy 
to inquire about our service battalions, and 
we were too close to the front for prisoners 
of war. We took our gas masks and steel 
helmets to work with us, hiking over six 
kilometers each moi-ning and evening. One 
kilometer of this hike was over a road un- 
der such direct observation of the enemy 
that it was necessary to divide the detail 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



61 



C. E.'s. at Work 




Details for Today 

At Rest 

Oflf for the Day 



into separate squads in order to decrease 
the targret for his 77's and 105's. 

For weeks we were without gloves, and 
handled snow covered blockage with bare 
hands that only a few months before were 
more accustomed to slide rules, b'ne prints 
and progress charts than wheelbarrows, 
nicks and shovels. After working nine 
hours each day, we then hiked six kilo- 
meters through snow and I'ain and mud, 
back to camp, where we lined up in more 
mud and snow for our chow of "corned 
willy" and hard bread. At night we huddled 
barefooted around the single fire in the bar- 



6". At Ease 

Royaumeix Quarry 
Sanzey Detail 

racks, drvinq- our only pair of shoes. The 
next day! — Encore (over and over). 

Not even dysentery, "0. D." pills and cas- 
tor o'l were allowed to cut down our work, 
pnd now historians are asking, "Why did 
Ludendorf resign?" 

A few days after the first crusher had 
started, the second unit began its chug! 
chuff! chug! as it devoured the rock, and 
called for rock! rock! rock! rock! as its 
feeders slowed down. 

The oreanization was .so effective that it 
was allowed to continue in operation while 
all other quarries in that sector were turned 



62 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



over to the 28th Engineers, a special regi- 
ment recruited for the purpose of operating 
([uarries in the A. E. F. 

A record was kept of all operations. Daily 
reports were filed with Truck Train Head- 
quarters, giving the size and number of 
loads of material hauled, odometer readings 
and time consumed in making each round 
trip. The engineer officers at company and 
battalion headquarters were furnished with 
daily, weekly and monthly reports of out- 
put, material on hand and daily output per 
man. 

Similar reports were also furnished to 
the 28th Engineers, which entitled us to 
the monthly comparison reports, compar- 
ing our work with that of twelve different 
quarries operated by the 28th Engineers. 
These comparison reports were the source 
of much gratification and inspiration, for 
during the months of May, June and July 
our quarry stood out first with the largest 
liroduction of crushed rock, the largest total 
l»roduction and the largest daily production 
lier man. 

By this time we had taken away enough 
of the face of the quarry to permit of the 
installation of the two units perpendicular 
with the bin. A pit had been made to re- 
ceive both crushers. A large beam trap had 
been constructed through which it had been 
planned to dump all our strippings, sixty 
l^er cent of which would have been graded 
over a fourteen-foot grizzly and dropped into 
dump cars and fed into the crushers. The 
remaining forty per cent of this stripping 
would have dropped through the grizzly into 
cars, to be used by the 21st Engineers in 
sog-raising and bank widening work con- 
templated on the narrow gauge railroad they 
were operating. 

This move would have taken the place of 
all wheelbarrow work and saved thirty per 
cent of the hand labor now in use. Every- 
thing was just in readiness to make the 
change, on the following Sunday. Forty 
men had \olunteered for the work, but as 
the fates decree in war, "The best laid plans 
of mice and men go oft astray." We re- 
ceived orders to leave for the Chateau 
Thierry Front; and "next Sunday" never 
came to the quarry detail. July 18th was 
our last day in the cpiarry. Many will say 
that it was our best day. 

We sent the officers on a souvenir hunt, 
and proceeded to have a celebration, with 
the two Vin sisters as chief entertainers. 

When the records were comi)leted, the fol- 
lowing report was turned over to the 28th, 
together with all quarry machinery: 



Material moved prior to installation 

of crushers, on March 16th.. . 4,600 cu. M. 

Output of crushed rock 16,640 cu.M. 

Output of stripping 6,000 cu. M. 

Output of blockage 7,600 cu. M. 

Total output, March 16th to 

July 18th _.. 30,240 cu.M. 

Total output, March 1st to 

July 18th 34,840 cu. M. 

Daily outjiut of crushed rock per 

man 2.7 cu. M. 

Daily output per man 4.85 cu. M. 

Over 3,000 pounds of powder was used in 
blasting. These figures speak volumes. This 
work was done by the brain and brawn of 
technical engineers, and not men skilled in 
the use of the pick, the sledge and the bar. 
During all the work there were but two 
minor accidents, one a broken finger and the 
other necessitating a few stitches where a 
man was accidentally hit with a swinging 
stone hammer. 

This record is seldom attained in civil 
practice where skilled workmen and a com- 
plete line of machinery are available, and 
where laborers are not nearly so congested 
as was necessary in the early part of this 
work. 

This was the second phase of our battle, a 
phase which settled into a long, hard grind 
and lasted long into July. A race between 
the quarry detail and a string of Mack 
trucks and soixtante cars. The front line 
of this battle advanced and receded as the 
amount of rock in the bin increased or de- 
creased. 

At this stage of our work, the quarry de- 
tail was cut down to the absolute minimum 
of sixty men and ten teams and the follow- 
ing organization was permanently estab- 
li.shed : officer 

FIRST LIEUTENANT 
SERGEANT, FIRST CLASS (SUPT.) 
DUTIES 



Men I Teams 



Drillers I 8 | 

Powflermaii ! 1 

Quanymen | 4 

EriKineers t 2 

Crushernien | 2 

Firemen | 2 I 

Binman 1 I 

Chute tender I 1 1 

Water wagon \ 1 j 2 

Plowmen | 2 1 2 

Scrapei's | 4 | 6 

Dumpmen I 2 j 

Wheelbarrows [ 19 ( 

Clerk 1 1 I 

Checker | Y I 

Carpenter 1 1 I 

Blacksmith [ 1 1 

Blacksmith helper...] 1 i 



Sergeant 

in charge of 

quarry. 

Sergeant 

in charge of 

mechanical 

plant. 

Corporal 

in charge 

of stripping. 

Two CorporaLs 

Overhead. 



Total— 1 Officer. 

60 N. C. O.'s and 
10 Teams. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



The St. Mihiel drive is now history, and I 
presume that few histories will dwell very 
long on the condition of the roads without 
which that drive could never have been ac- 
complished. Our hats are off to the Amer- 
ican doughboy. Any engineer that has been 
in front of the balloons will honor our fight- 
ing men, but please permit me this little in- 
dulgence: "They said we could not raise an 
army, and if we did raise it, we could not 
transport it overseas; and if we did trans- 
port it overseas, it could not fight — and in 
one day it wiped out the St. Mihiel salient 
— to quote that eminent journalist, Mr. Ed- 
ward Hungerford, in the Saturday Evening 
Post, and then goes on to describe the inter- 
view in Mr. Baker's inner office and its bear- 
ing on our army. 

Lated in his interview Mr. Hungerford 
quotes Mr. Baker as follows: 

"The first question that came to us was 
that of the volunteer system as against tne 
draft. The volunteer system involved a hap- 
hazard interruption of every industry in the 



country, based on the personal enthusiasm of 
its individuals." I earnestly hope that that 
eminent authority who believes that 'in one 
day we wiped out the St. Mihiel sahent" may 
some day hear of the efforts of those "en- 
thusiastic" volunteers who labored for five 
months in that salient, that that drive might 
be successful. I also hope that in some of 
Mr. Baker's future moments he has the op- 
portunity to read this humble eff'ort of mine, 
and can put himself in the position of some 
of his "enthusiastic individuals" who earned 
their first service stripes in the Royaumeix 
Quarry. 

Whatever our feelings have been and what- 
ever our feelings may be now, they are as 
nothing compared to what our feelings will 
be in that far distant future, when we sit 
down in our age of silver temples and lOok 
back with that infinite satisfaction enjoyed 
only by those having participated in the ful- 
fillment of our duty. 

For all of us who worked in the Royau- 
meix Quarry this is our greatest reward. 



The Poilu 




When Speaking About "Who Won the War?"— Don't Forget Our Little Froggie Comrade 



64 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



The Marne 




Bathing- at Ussy-sur-Marne 
Camp at Ussy-sur-Manie 



Camp in Chateau Thierry 
Bridge at Chateau Thierry 



Chateau Thierry 



Found in a Soldier's Coat Pocket on the Battlefield. 
(Author Unknown.) 
1 
On the road out of Chateau Thierry, 

By the hill where we halted the Hun, 
Near Suicide Hill in Death Valley 

Where the Boche'.s retreat was begun. 
2 
There's an acre of crude litle crosses. 

Where we buried young Sergeant Monroe, 
And a crowd of comrade crusaders 

Who.se names we may never quite know. 
3 
And some day that road will be teeming 

With pilgrims who venture to go 
To Humanity's Holy of Holies, 

On the road by the Bois de Bellau. 
4 
Some will be looking for Brothers, 

Others for Fathers or Sons, 
Many for Husbands or Sweethearts, 

Or Comrades who stayed with the guns. 
5 
God grant they may come in sunshine 

While the spring flowers bloom on the grave. 
And may they be proud of our comrades. 
And glad for the gift that they gave. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



65 



Our Work in the Chateau Thierry Drive 



Note : This article is written strictly from 
an engineer's viewpoint. Nevertheless, to 
take away that dry effect (engineers and 
dry are synonymous) I will endeavor to 
blend my ideas in a somewhat tangible man- 
ner. 

Numerically speaking, an authority has 
stated that this war consisted of 75 per cent 
engineering and 25 per cent militarism. An 
infinitesimal part of the 75 per cent portion 
was the work accomplished by our company 
in the Chateau Thierry drive. 

Skipping the long hikes and minor per- 
formances, we will arrive somewhat abruptly 
at the more important feats. We will omit 
that long, heavy marching order, hike from 
Ussy-sur-Marne. We will avoid the pathetic 
tale of how we dragged those honored 
corpses from the historic Marne at Chateau 
Thierry, and gabe them a crude but Chris- 
tian burial. We will not tarry to describe 
the continued hike which brought us to Vil- 
lamoyenne ; always to be remembered by the 
innumerable flies and nauseous stench of sun 
blistered dead. We will pass another grill- 
ing hike into the Bois de Meuniere, and the 
death hunting Boche bombers that sought 
us. These things, and more besides, we shall 
miss in going directly to Abby d'Ingy. 

The highways were carrying a tremen- 
dous burden, in fact due to the destroyed 
and thus unusable condition of the railroads, 
the highways were the only resort. 

The problem before us was: conditioning, 
widening and maintaining the highways in 
this immediate sector:. 

The ordinary layman, unaccustomed to 
war methods, conceives the army engineer 
with a pick and shovel ; digging in without 
aim or system. Such a belief is incorrect. 
For example, we immediately sent men over 
the assigned roads, chaining and stationing 
them as well as estimating the material 
needed and locating a source of supply. The 
short time and small labor thus spent was 
more than fully repaid, for we then had, on 
paper, the particular places where repairs 
were most urgently needed. It also oblit- 
erated any unnecessary material and haul- 
age. 

The report on source of material proved 
negative. In other words we had to quarry 
all rock needed. A quarry being worked to 
a small degree by Les Genie Francaise was 
found. We called it the Igny Quarry. The 
rock, a soft limestone, was an ideal natural 



road substance. The limited output of the 
Igny Quarry, the long haul and the diffi- 
culty of our getting trucks in a loading po- 
sition in wet weather, necessitated the open- 
ing of an additional quarry. Surface rock 
showing in a trench, gave the hint of pos- 
sible material. Its location, which was on 
the road being worked, made it a reality. On 
our reports we called it the St. Charles 
Quarry. The blasting in these quarries was 
done by the aid of German hand grenades. 

It was while on this work that we first 
used service troops. A battalion of the 1st 
Pioneer Infantry, a white organization, un- 
der our supervision, deserves credit for a 
lot of good work fulfilled. 

\\'hen called to a more vital point, we left 
a wider, more serviceable road, and had 
never stopped traffic for an instant. 

In passing, I give note that wonderful re- 
sults were accomplished by a small detail at 
Dravagny. The chief problem there was the 
overcoming of seepage and springs in the 
road. From an engineering position, the 
unique methods employed by these pick and 
shovel crusaders warrants a separate write- 
up. 

Disregarding consideration of a forced 
march, through Cohan and Coulanges, mob- 
ilization with other engineers at Gaussan- 
court and a night long hike, we are dug in 
on a hillside ahead of the big guns south of 
St. Thibaut. The first job was to clear the 
streets of St. Thibaut of the recently de- 
stroyed buildings. Such was essential to 
permit the passage of the artillery. Four 
hours did we pry, push, wheel and shovel 
the devastated houses from the macadam. 
Again, besides the buildings, we had the 
roadside barricades and doughboys' dig-ins 
to clean. War, in its most horrid sense, was 
here presented to us, when time and time 
again we had to free a fallen hero protrud- 
ing provocatively from his road side strong- 
hold or from the debris where he had made 
his last stand. 

Then we were called upon to open the road 
and bridge approach across the river from 
Bozoches (a few miles west of Fismes). A 
descriptions of the ruins will be necessary. 
Picture to yourself a narrow, swiftly flowing 
stream (the Vesle River), a deep valley 
(truly called by the doughboys Death Val- 
ley) ; a bridge over the river supplied by 
two roads ; midway up the valley a standard 
gauge railroad crossing the main road. 



66 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



If you have the aforementioned trio, i. e., 
bridge, road fork and railroad crossing, well 
pictured, then you can realize what a perfect 
target. And the Germans had surely used 
it to our disadvantage. The bridge was de- 
stroyed. The condition of the road can well 
be imagined when I state that we extracted 
from one of the larger holes a shattered 
Garford truck. Moreover, deadly gas still 
hung in the shell hole sprinkled Death Val- 
ley. The dead was so numerous that they 
hindered our work to such an extent we had 
to detail a burial squad to remove them. 
How mighty and lasting an impression did 
the view present. 

Our orders called for opening the road in 
a limited number of hours, to permit an ad- 
vance of artillery. We all understood that 
upon this point itself depended the linking 



up of infantry and artillery. By concen- 
trated team work we had cleared the dead 
and the fallen trees, removed the mounds of 
earth that had been belched up by the im- 
mense shells, tore the splintered railroad ties 
and twisted rails from the road. Then, fill- 
ing the shell craters, repairing and planking 
were next in order. To a man everyone 
gave his utmost that day; mess calls went 
unheeded by us. Nary a neck was craned to 
the aerial activity. The whistle of a shell 
detracted not one from his real, vital and 
important task. 

May sound like conceit, but I say with 
pride, it was a link, perhaps a small one, 
but nevertheless an important one in the 
Chain of Victory, was "Our Work in the 
Chateau Thierry Drive." 

SEEGT. W. GRAUER. 







COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



67 



The Chateau Thierry Drive 




Hiking Through Vaux 

Detained at Meaux 
Camp at Villemoyenne 



Good Germans 



Bridging the Vesle 

Camp at Ussy 

Memorial Services, 
103rd Inf., 26th Div. 



68 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 




FflMbu5 FJMiR\CBN^S PORTS 
'/=]BF^0I\D 

lOUVtKllR HUNTING 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



69 



The Argonne - Muese Drive 

Sept. 26— Nov. 11, 1918 



To the south and west about thirty kilo- 
meters from Verdun is located the small 
village of Parois, then westerly about four 
kilometers to the village of Auzeville, then 
about four kilometers to the village of Neu- 
villy, thence south a distance of six kilo- 
meters to the village of Clermont was ap- 
proximately the location of our company a 
few days previous and during the opening 
of that ever-eventful, ever-to-be remembered 
"Argonne-Muese Drive." 

September 15th found us drawing to a 
close our tour of the Marne Valley, our visit 
to the St. Mihiel Front of two days and our 
ride across Champagne, locating in a valley 
a short distance from Parois. Moving into 
this place under the darkness of night it 
was rather difficult for us to get our bear- 
ings, and more confused were we in the 
morning when we reported for "Detail." As 
the country, aside from our own company, 
was inhabited by very few American troops, 
and it was necessary that we make ourselves 
as inconspicuous as possible, we were moved 
in covered trucks only, and naturally the 
feeling grew that there were big things un- 
der way. These shadows proved themselves 
to be the shadows of the largest things that 
ever came to pass by warring nations. 

In the course of a few days we moved 
again, this time establishing our home in an 
old French camp near Gange-le-Compt, a 
kilometer or so east of Clermont. These 
days were trying. It was that restless feel- 
ing which presents itself when one is wait- 
ing for something to be made perfect when 
it is nearly complete. Our work consisted 
of laboring in a quarry, working colored en- 
gineers on the highways and hauling truck- 
load after truck-load of Telford Stone to a 
great storage pile just north of Neuvilly. 
This work was all carried on during the 
night, through rain, thi-ough mud, through 
nights of seemingly endless duration; and 
why should all this rock be stored in such 
a place? This was the question uppermost 
in our minds, but the individual in the Army 
works under orders, why these orders no 
one knows; just follow them. 

September 26th was nearing rapidly and 
things tightened, so to speak. Crossroads, 
bridges, railroads, and ammunition, engi- 
neering and ration dumps became more and 
more hazardous. Judging from the inces- 
sant shelling of Clermont, the Clermont- 



Neuvilly road, the bridge over the Aii'e 
River, the railhead at Auzeville and the con- 
tinual unharmonious groaning of the Folker 
o'er head, the enemy no doubt, was begin- 
ning to realize that preparations for a great 
drive were under way. 

All these happenings are but atoms in our 
memories; they were no more than just 
parts taken by us in a rehearsal for a great 
Play that we had dreamed of. 

Stop! Remember the night of Septem- 
ber the 25th? It was black with darkness. 
You couldn't recognize your "bunkie" three 
feet from you, but under this natural screen 
moved no small portion of the American 
Army, the highways carrying a 3-Iine traffic 
of nothing but motorized or horse-drawn 
artillery. Trucktrain after trucktrain rum- 
bled by with its cargo of ammunition, ra- 
tions, etc., and over the fields adjacent to 
the roads in squad formation, endless col- 
umns of men were marching, not with the 
usual hilarity of the American troops were 
these men marching, not under the usual 
heavy pack, but under a far more impres- 
sive one, the "combat pack." They were 
not depressed, they were not cowardly, they 
were marching under and through that at- 
mosphere created by determination. 

At eleven o'clock the word passed down 
the road to clear all traffic. As if by magic 
this seething mass vanished and within an 
hour a quietness settled that was appalling; 
like a cool breeze which one feels just pre- 
vious to a raging storm; like one being left 
all alone and everything moved away but 
quietness and darkness. A rumble in the 
distance to the east attracted us. It grew 
closer — closer — and with a crash the guns 
at our side, in front and to the rear of us 
fired. For miles along the line darkness 
was changed to light. Rockets of all colors 
ascended a few miles ahead of us, signalling 
artillery of all sizes for more firing, more 
gas, more proof that no power of German 
origin could resist such a drive. 

It was one o'clock; the beginning of the 
end had started its weary course — the Ar- 
gonne-Muese had opened. 

We returned to camp and about six 
o'clock received orders to pack all equip- 
ment and stand in readiness to move. Be- 
fore noon we had made ourselves a new 
home in the village of Neuvilly, pitching our 
pup-tents in an old orchard adjacent to the 



70 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



place, setting up our kitchen under an old 
hay barn roof. It was from under this roof 
that some of the best hot cakes that man 
ever made were served. We can say it with 
a free heart; the hours at the beginning of 
the Argonne were long and hard, there was 
a great deal of rain to contend with, but 
the food, speaking A. E. F.'ly could not be 
surpassed and there was plenty for all. 
Such times as these, when one is deprived 
of all enjoyment of life, when it is nip and 
tuck to keep realizing that some day it will 
all end, it is the fundamental step toward 
optimism if one can get enough to eat. 

We have all heard of the Army hunger; 
a great many of us have experienced the 
same. There are a few more unpleasant re- 



Training" let us all ponder a moment. Is 
there such a thing as an Army Officer with 
judgment along construction lines? We 
don't mean the "Ninety-day Wonders," we 
mean Army Officers, the men that call their 
way of "passing the time" their profession. 
To criticise is unpatriotic, no doubt, but not 
to criticise in a case like this is far worse 
than unpatriotic. It happened before our 
very eyes ; indirectly we were the cause, for 
if our orders had been other than what they 
were, it wouldn't have taken place, and tiiis 
is what happened: 

Shortly after we had made camp at Neu- 
villy, we were equipped with engineering 
equipment, "picks and shovels," and started 




membrances of our experiences in France, 
but the one that stands uppermost in our 
memories, and the one that causes us to 
grow weak when thinking of it, is the mem- 
ory that convinced "Co. A, 23rd Engineers" 
that the American Anny didn't prove its 
worth by the efficiency of its Engineering- 
Officers of high i-ank, but that it proved its 
worth by a large body of individuals using 
their judgment individually, fighting and 
working with that ever present independence 
of every American. 

We are all conscious that death goes 
hand in hand with war, but uncalled for 
death does not go hand in hand with any- 
thing. When they .speak of "Universal 



in the general direction up front. We were 
approximately two miles from the Infantry, 
and as we approached the immediate zone 
of fighting, one could ascertain nothing defi- 
nite; things were just a jumble of cracking- 
rifles, loud reports of firing cannon and ex- 
plosions of incoming shells. The horizon 
consisted of a series of smoky masses 
caused from the burnmg of ammunition 
dumps by the retreating enemy. The Air 
Service was carrying well their allotment 
of the Drive, as German balloons were kept 
well down and only for a very short time 
was one of them allowed to remain in the 



air. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



71 



We walked for perhaps a kilometer or 
two when a great yawning gap in the road 
confronted us. This crater was located just 
to the rear of that which had been the 
third-line trench twelve hours previous. The 
obstacle had been in existence since 1916, 
as the French at that time had logical rea- 
sons for believing that the enemy was 
going to drive in through this direction, 
and they had taken this method of retard- 
ing them; by loading a culvert which ex- 
tended under a thirty or forty foot em- 
bankment on the highway with high explo- 
sive, and had exploded the same. The re- 
sult was that it formed a great mine crater 
approximately forty feet deep and ninety 
feet in diameter. 

For the driving American Army it be- 
came necessary to either bridge the gap or 
construct a "shoo-fly" (a detour road). The 
highway on which this existed was the main 
line of communication to this sector of the 
Argonne Front and to congest the traffic 
would mean lives. More engineers were 
coming up, all with picks and shovels, and 
excavation was started for a "shoo-fly"???? 
Approximately a thousand feet of 2-way 
traffic road was going to be constructed 
over a marshy, soft draw including about 
80-foot span wooden bridge. This road was 
to be of Telford base with a wearing sur- 
face of six or eight inches. This would re- 
quire a thousand cubic metres of stone at 
least. There were fifteen hundred men 
there, in perhaps a fifteen acre plot to build 
this job — but there was no stone. Back 
at Neuvilly was that great storage dump 
which we had been heaping up for days, 
and this was to be trucked to the shoo-fly. 
But ere the first Mack truck had made its 
load of precious material, traffic was blocked 
for a mile back of the crater, making it im- 
possible for a continuous train of trucks to 
keep the men supplied. 

For twenty-four hours that crater tied up 
traffic, and then a single line traffic was 
permitted though consisting of nothing but 
ambulances. Forty-eight hours saw a double 
line traffic through, and there lay the crater 
— a matter of spanning ninety feet with no 
supply dump with a goodly supply of mud and 
water to contend with. And engineering 
beams and plank not six kilometers away. 
Had this obstacle ever been considered by 
the Army Officials in those two years? If 
so, why call them engineers? 

A short distance ahead of us lay Var- 
ennes, a town which had been held by the 
Germans for four years. Our Infantry had 
taken it and was well on their way toward 
Charpentrey. The fighting had been very 
hard and the men returning from the lines 



gave proof that the fighting would have 
been much easier had they had the support 
of the Ai-tillery which they were denied on 
account of the delay in the construction of 
this detour road. 

On the second day of the drive we were 
somewhat relieved when we saw the traffic 
wending its way onward. 

After being taken from this job about 
one mile farther ahead we were presented 
with conditions exactly similar to the one 
just described, only that the fields on each 
side of this Crater had been "mined" and 
it was not until a six-inch gun had been 
pulled onto one of the well-laid mines, com- 
pletely destroying the same and kilhng and 
wounding several men, that these ti'eacher- 
ous conditions were actually discovered. 

The detour road in this case was to be 
built along the same lines of construction 
as the first one, but after excavation had 
been started and the impossibility of re- 
ceiving the large quantities of stone had at 
last been realized, it was decided that a 
plank road should be built in place of the 
Telford. By this means a two-way traffic 
road was completed within twenty-four 
hours, and it was relief, the most appre- 
ciated relief, we had ever received when we 
saw the traffic congestion unravel, the great 
streams of cannon, ammunition, rations and 
everything war-going or war-making was 
pushed with the utmost rapidity to the 
Front. 

It is wonderful to have seen how these 
great obstacles were done away with, but 
let us pause and realize the price that was 
paid for it. ' Those men that we spoke of 
that were passing us a few nights ago, 
those men that were marching under that 
quiet, solemn atmosphere created by deter- 
mination, they were the men that paid the 
price, the highest price that goes with war, 
the Supreme Sacrifice. 

For the first, second and third days of 
the Drive, great numbers of these men lay 
for hours waiting for ambulances to carry 
them back to the Field Hospitals. The only 
complaint we ever heard one of them utter 
was, "Why in the Hell don't you let that 
Artillery get up there and give the boys 
.some support?" We knew why, but once 
again we say, in the Army, orders are 
orders, where they come from no one knows, 
just follow them. 

For a week or two we maintained and pa- 
trolled these two roads as they were sub- 
ject to the heaviest traffic imaginable. It 
was after this that we moved to Varennes, 
and this move was the source of one of the 
most enjoyable parties we had during our 
experiences while in Bleeding France. We 



72 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



The Argonne — Meuse Drive 








^^»¥ 






i^^PHI'^^' 









i 




St. Juvin 
Charpentry 
1st Crater 

established our kitchen on the banks of the 
Aire River, nestling- it closely to a great 
high bank on the west side of the stream. 
This bank was the bank of all banks, as it 
afforded protection and much enjoyment, the 



Four De Paris 
1st Crater 
2nd Crater 

former as it had been excavated in many 
idaces forming good dug-outs and lastly 
speaking from an enjoyment standpoint, it 
afforded WINE CELLARS. Most places of 
this sort, especially in a town inhabited by 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



73 



the Germans for four years, had had their 
stock long since utilized, but a shell from 
the retreating enemy seemed to have been 
sent back for the one purpose of informing 
us that that part of the Army from which 
it had been sent had overlooked about a 
three-days' party for a couple of hundred 



men. 



At the bottom of the crater made by this 
shell, a small dark hole was noticeable. One 
of the Company's best judges on France's 
most noted product happened to be near, and 
upon investigating more closely, found that 
the little hole was an entrance to a much 
larger one, and that the large one was noth- 
ing more than a Wine Cellar; one like we 
had never seen before — this one was full. 
It contained over two thousand bottles of 
the best French wines, a couple of kegs of 
Vin Rouge, considerable linen ware and a 
strong-box containing eighteen hundred 
Francs (which our erstwhile Lt. Davy had 
an awfully good time on "Somewhere in 
France"). 

Of all the cellars in France which con- 
tained fights and songs, this one outrated 
them all. For three days the Company 
drank wine, ate wine, bathed in wine, and 
wine fairly oozed from their pores. Each 
man received an issue of two linen towels, 
the better to wipe it from one's chin after 
receiving your cup of Vin Rouge in place 
of coffee in the mess line. 

Never do men have such a party but 
what the unpleasant awakening presents it- 
self. For a time at least we had forgotten 
that there was a war on, and perhaps it 
was just as well. With the bad must come 
the good. 

Varennes will always be a memory of a 
few happy moments at least, as we received 
two separate and distinct thrills at this 
point, the first being the aforementioned 
and the second presenting itself when on 
October 24th, our former Captain, Captain 
Hackett, returned to the Company, which at 
this time meant a great deal to every man, 
as our morale was beginning to run a little 
low, and why shouldn't it? having been un- 
der the said erstwhile Lt. Davy, the man 
who HAD his men drilled for several days 
under the direct observation of an enemy 
balloon, the man who could spend more time 
looking for souveniers and "Captain's Bars" 
than he could with his own Company, no 
matter how urgent the need. 

Captain Hackett's return was in no way 
untimely. He talked with us, and above all 
he encouraged us. We hadn't done much we 
all realized, but he was glad to tell us that 
our efforts had been appreciated, at least. 

We lived at Varennes six weeks, during 



which time we constructed a great rail 
head, wrecked most of the buildings in the 
town to obtain the stone for road building, 
worked a Battalion of Pioneer Infantry on 
the maintenance of ten or twelve miles of 
road. 

October 31st found us moving toward the 
S. 0. S. We had been promised that after 
our nine months on the Front we were at 
last to have the pleasure of going back, 
back to the place where shells and bombs 
don't bother you in your sleep. 

We reached Four-de-Paris where we made 
a home in an old German camp which had 
been built on the greatest hills and forest 
of the Argonne. Here we remained about 
six days, working roads only as a pastime 
and not as a necessity, as we were only 
stopping to await further orders to move. 
On the fifth day there was an inspection, 
and after the same the Captain made a short 
talk, and informed us that the next day we 
would move, not to the S. 0. S., but to our 
old home, the "Front." It was discourag- 
ing. We had been promised this chance of 
being allowed to go back, away from the 
din and roar of the guns, from the con- 
tinuous soaking by the rain and from the 
unbearable mud for so long that it seemed 
impossible that we were receiving orders 
to again push forward. 

In that talk there was another almost 
unbelievable remark. On the wings of gos- 
sip and whispered very low was the rumor 
that the fighting might cease before long. 
Could it be true? It was surely nothing 
more than propaganda. The war had grown 
so large that it seemed impossible that it 
could end. All in all, it did sound logical. 
Austria had given up, the American Army 
was going forward at a tremendous rate, 
and things did look rather dubious for the 
Huns. Figuring from all angles, it was well 
to believe that it would end and it was with 
this optimistic view in mind that we once 
more moved toward the Meuse. 

Stopping at St. Juvin near Grand Pre, 
we made a very comfortable home. This 
place remained well intact, as the enemy had 
evacuated the region rather rapidly and the 
fighting had been more or less on the run. 
This, however, did not reduce the amount of 
work in any way, as there were an un- 
limited number of shell-holes in the road 
to be repaired, bridges to be constructed, 
etc. 

This home, like all others, had its mem- 
orable incidents. Here we received no less 
a personage than an inventor of the most 
modern ways of repairing shell torn roads. 
It was "Miss" Lt. Gerton, who had come all 
the way from Illinois to introduce his 



74 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



method. He not only recommended the 
knowledge of highway maintenance im- 
placing of spools of barbed wire in shell- 
holes, but he demanded it 

On November 10th we received orders to 
construct a road to Evacuation Hospital No. 
7. The job was started, and up ahead a few 
miles the lighting raged on. As night grew 
closer, the rumbling, roaring and groaning 
increased. As darkness settled the country 
for miles around was made beautiful by the 
flare of rockets. The great anti-a1r craft 
search-lights stretching out their arms in 
the sky as though trying to get within 
their grasp the rumor that was traveling up 
and down the lines with lightening rapidity, 
the rumor that buried itself in every mind 
and heart in the world. The Kaiser had ab- 
dicated, and peace or an armistice was in- 
evitable. 

On the night of November 10th, men 
lived years. Their thoughts carried them 
back, back to that land from whence they 
came. Their thoughts carried them forward, 
forward to that land to which they were in 
all probability soon to return. 

The morning of the 11th day of the 11th 
month arrived, and at the 11th hour a re- 
spect was paid to the World's Humanity such 
as it had never received before. The firing 
ceased, the hungry guns were but cold 
pieces of steel. Men ceased killing one an- 



other. That massive, seething, crawling, 
darkening war-cloud which had been hover- 
ing over Europe for four long years had 
risen — the World was at Peace. 

The war was won, it was over, and home 
was uppermost in every man's mind. It was 
an experience that we will never live 
through again. We paid for this experience 
in a way that you pay for nothing else in 
this world. There is no description for it. 
Our reward was life and what we learned 
of it. What greater reward could one an- 
ticipate than this? The memories of our 
own individual selves are so etched in our 
minds that we shall never forget, but "lest 
we forget" the others — 

Those who were in squad formation, 
marching in endless columns, under the 
darkness of night and under that solemn 
atmosphere created bv determination ; those 
men of the 35TH DIVISION ; those men who 
didn't receive that Artillery support. 

It was this calibre of men that ended the 
war, and as we sit and read over the last 
Act of that great Play produced on a stage 
nearly four hundred miles long, let us from 
the deepest depth of our hearts pay the 
most sincere respect to those who made it 
possible that we return to our glorious home 
and loved ones across the sea — to those men 
who will ever remain in France. 

By COPvP. M. M. SMALL. 




I Ora,,^-, Aj. A BE. an J \n/.BM 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



75 



N'EVERYTHING 




History Detail, 
Ellington — Searight — Edwards 

Snelling Barracks 

Cooks — Snelling 



Officers and Workers — Billy 

Y. M. C. A. Hut^Burley 

Cooks— Billy 



76 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



Billy-Sous-Mangiennes to Le Mans 



April 8th : To an outsider that particular 
date will mean no nriore than any other of 
the three-hundred and sixty-five days which 
constitute a year, but to us marooned over 
here in France it ranked a close second to 
Armistice Day, November 11th. Arriving in 
France some fifteen months before, the main 
point in our minds was the coming of the 
day when Germany would lay down her arms 
and hostilities would cease. Now that day 
had arrived and past and we only naturally 
substituted another and almost as important 
in our minds ; that being the day on which 
we would leave this so-called la belle France, 
or to speak more correctly, "muddy" France, 
for HOME. And now after nearly five 
months, five of the longest and most try- 
ing months of our career in France, that 
day had arrived. 

Immediately after evening mess we loaded 
the kitchen paraphernalia on trucks to the 
tune of the ever-useless non-commissioned 
officers' superfluous orders, and after sepa- 
rating a few of our lovesick comrades from 
their weeping mademoiselles we piled on top 
of the kitchen supplies and amid much 
shouting on our parts which would not be 
at all complimentary to our frog friends 
could they but understand what we said, we 
bid our last, and I mean last, farewell to 
Billy-sous-Mangiennes, the old home of our 
company headquarters. 

Darkness was fast approaching when we 
finally drew up alongside of seventeen of 
those famous "Forty Hommes-Eight Che- 
vaux" box cars which has brought old man 
E. T. A. T. world wide fame and not a few 
francs. The officers immediately selected or 
had some aspirant to higher glories select 
for them, one of the cars to carry their 
precious selves, after which the mess ser- 
geant and his tribe of cooks and K. P.'s se- 
lected theirs, and us poor bucks "toted" the 
stove and the warehouse full of cooking 
utensils which every army kitchen carries 
around but seldom uses, into said car. A 
third car was then taken for the gasoline 
motor and dynamo, which, after the boys 
had strung up the wires, was to furnish the 
electric light in each car for the trip, for 
even though we only rated side-door Pull- 
mans in this land of wars we intended and 
did travel in style that rather rivalled our 
own Pullmans at home. After much tug- 
ging, lifting and not a little advising we 



eventually placed this conglomeration of ma- 
chinery into the car. It had now grown 
dark and there not being any additional work 
that could be thought of at that time, we 
commenced looking over the remaining cars 
for "floor space." 

It has been proven, especially since the 
A. E. F. arrived in France, that the floor of 
a box car is not the best bed in the world 
to sleep on, and having had some previous 
experience in this respect and not having 
any desire to duplicate it, we commenced in- 
vestigating the contents of a train of cars on 
an adjacent track and were amply rewarded 
by discovering that one of the cars contained 
bundled straw. In less time than it takes to 
write about it this straw was "salvaged" 
and transferred into our cars, where it was 
quickly spread out on the floors to a depth 
of several inches and almost as quickly cam- 
ouflaged with our blankets, after which, be- 
ing rather thirsty, we went in search of, and 
being in France, naturally discovered a cafe 
where "near-beer" was sold to Americans 
at the usual prices. 

An ordinary man can, if he is very thirsty, 
drink a bottle of this highly watered beer, 
but the way some of our boys had empty 
bottles stacked around them that night I am 
led to believe that we have some very ex- 
traordinary men in our outfit, and they don't 
wear stripes, either. We wandered back to 
the cars and after two of our pugilistic as- 
pirants pulled off' a one-round and one-sided 
bout, we hit the hay (straw). 

Awakening next morning, April 9th, to the 
lovely ( ?) notes of the bugle, we climbed 
out of the cars to make the discovery that 
we had not moved an inch since we had 
piled in the night before. I have often 
heard of that much ridiculed railroad back 
home which runs its train by calendar, but 
these frog railroads have that particular 
road swamped for schedules, especially troop 
trains. I have heard it said they run them 
according to the sun, and as the sun rarely 
shines in northern France you can easily 
imagine the rest. However, luck was with 
us on this morning, for Old Sol was sending 
faint rays through the skies and true to 
custom an engine was coupled to our train 
and we were about to start when a very 
much excited Frenchman with much waving 
of arms was reciting the tale of the "Dis- 
appearing Straw" to our Captain, who, in 
order to prevent the poor fellow from throw- 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



77 



ing his arms away, paid the difference from 
our company fund. What the Captain paid 
for this straw would have bought us each a 
feather bed in America with enough left 
over to buy us cigarettes for a year — but 
being in poor bleeding France (bleeding 
American soldiers) and the French being 
our brothers or cousins, I forget which, why 
I suppose it's all right. After the French- 
man obtained a wheelbarrow to carry away 
the greater part of our company fund the 
engine tooted its whistle a couple of times 
and the village of Spincourt slowly faded 
from view. The first step of our journey 
home had begun. 

The first, and I might say the most impor- 
tant town we passed through after leaving 
Spincourt was the town of Conflans, situated 
about twenty kilometers from the city of 
Metz. During the war, Conflans was the 
principal German railhead; the main source 
of their Service of Supply to the front. The 
railhead at this point was very heavily 
bombed by the Allies and during the last 
stages of the war was subject to much ar- 
tillery fire. It was evacuated by the Ger- 
mans after the signing of the Armistice. 

It was nearing noon when our train 
stopped on the siding on the outskirts of 
the village of Gondacourt. This village is 
located in the Lorraine Sector and during the 
war was exactly on the line. It was at this 
point that the first of the American divi- 
sions in France had their first taste of shell 
fire. Mess was served here and needless to 
say it was a good one. The mess sergeant 
and his tribe of cooks and K. P.'s had rigged 
up a field kitchen in the cook car and from 
the start to finish of the trip we were served 
hot meals. Hot meals on a trip of this dis- 
tance is much more than a novelty. It is, 
in fact, a Godsend. Tho.se of the A. E. F. 
who have lived on Iron Rations on a trip 
exceeding five hundred kilometers can read- 
ily appreciate the true value of hot meals 
three times per day, and believe me they 
were meals. Immediately after mess we 
pulled up to the station of Gondacourt and 
met some of the boys from Truck No. 1 
who were stationed at that point. At the 
same time another troop train pulled in hav- 
ing on board Company "C" of our regiment, 
also en route to a concentration camp. In 
view of the fact that we had not seen this 
company since our departure from the Toul 
sector for Chateau Thierry, some several 
months before, our few minutes' stop-over 
at this station was taken up asking and be- 
ing asked questions and not a little repartee 
was exchanged in regard to winning the war. 
Next to "A" Company we concede that "C" 
is the best company in the regiment. 



Shortly before 1 o'clock our engine again 
raised sufficient steam to toot the whistle a 
few times and again we were on our way. 
Soon we were eatmg up the distance toward 
our destination and though it's hard to be- 
lieve, there were times when this old troop 
train would average close onto forty kilo- 
meters per hour — remember I said at times. 
There were also times when we did not move 
forty feet per hour. Speed, especially con- 
tinuous speed, is very rare on frog railroad 
trains. In fact, the only .speed I had the 
pleasure of becoming acquainted with, and 
believe me she was speed personified, was on 
my visit to Paris, and believe me after that 
trip I knew Sherman was entirely in the 
wrong about war, as the following will prove: 

A red tempting mouth meant for kissing, 

A flash of some silk lingerie. 
They are some of the things you are miss- 
ing. 

In Paris, far over the sea. 

The gleam of a fair satin shoulder, 
The lilt of a quick, risque song. 

And soft creeping hands growing bolder. 
Say fellows — that guy Sherman was wrong. 

But to get on with the story. We jolted 
along over the rails (there were times when 
I thought it was the ties) and late in the 
afternoon after a series of jolts that piled 
us in a heap in one end of the car, we 
stopped in front of the station of the town 
of, or I should say what once had been the 
town of, Pont-a-Moussion. This town, situ- 
ated on the banks of the Moselle River, 
played a prominent i)art in the first Amer- 
ican drive under American leadership, later 
known as the St. Mihiel offensive. After 
several minutes' stop at this point we were 
again on our way. 

About 6 o'clock in the evening we were 
sidetracked in the yards on the outskirts of 
the small village of Champegneully, a short 
distance from the city of Nancy. "A" Com- 
pany shall not soon forget the town of 
Champegneully, for one very good reason. 
Mess was served at this point and after an 
interview with one of the train crew it was 
discovered that we would be delayed at this 
point for a couple of hours for no apparent 
reason at all. Some of the boys said that 
the engineer and fireman lived in the vil- 
lage and had gone home for supper. From 
what I know of the French methods in 
handling trains I guess that was as good a 
reason for our delay as any. 

In the meantime some of the boys had 
worked up an enormous thirst reading the 
large sign of a brewery that could be seen 



78 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



CoW 'orp|Cfcl?6 



DflTTL. 6Vf><.tJ\i 




J? *. 



i-r SM'ifro^ 








fvfQCM wtrz ' 



cw Tifi0^tfr 



From Billy to the Sea 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



79 



from the tracks. It has been often re- 
marked by other outfits, as well as our own, 
since coming to France, that our company 
should have been transferred into a salvage 
unit for the good of the Cause, and there 
is more truth than poetry in it at that. It 
is a matter of record that on certain occa- 
sions when the company would want some- 
thing without going through the miles of 
army red tape, they would simply make their 
wants known to the bucks and usually got 
what it wanted, from a wheelbarrow to a 
Ford or from a push car to a German steam 
engine, and believe me we had men who 
could run those engines when we had them 
— but to get back to the brewery sign. It 
not being permissible to leave the vicinity 
of the train, some of our more proficient sal- 
vagers (the word salvage covers a multitude 
of sins) had discovered that the cars stand- 
ing on the opposite track contained beer — 
real honest to goodness beer — in kegs. I am 
not absolutely certain about the car the offi- 
cers occoupied, but can vouch that every 
other car of our train when it pulled out of 
the yards from Champegneully on the even- 
ing of April 10th had from one to three kegs 
of this wonderful thirst quencher cached 
away under the straw, and the best part of 
the whole incident (and there were other 
parts that tasted just as good) was that we 
came away without losing the balance of our 
company fund. Needless to relate, many 
tearful tales of personal confidences were 
spilled in the cars that night. I never saw 
so much beer in my life, and by the way 
some of us tried to wrap ourselves around it 
one would think we never expected to see 
so much again. Boy howdy, what a night. 
During the following day, April 11th, we 
passed through some of the larger cities of 
France, for by this time we had gotten well 
down into the interior of the country, where 
one begins to understand the reason for the 
name "Beautiful France." Epernay, the 
home of champaigne (they did not stop the 
train here), Chalons-sur-Marne and many 
other smaller but nevertheless picturesque 
towns were passed through. But soon again 
we were in a part of the devastated ter- 
ritory once more — that section of France 
that played such a prominent part in the 
turning of the war-tide in July of 1918 — 
Chateau ThieiTy. Many words have already 
been written about this town and the coun- 
try surrounding it, words which would make 
my poor endeavors seem small indeed even 
though we were in the Chateau Thierry 
drive. Some articles I have read pertaining 
to that world known drive must have been 
written by writers who will some day be ac- 
cused of having second sight, they are so 



near the truth, even though they were thou- 
sands of miles away at the time Fritz de- 
cided to postpone his visit to Paris. 

After a short stop here we passed through 
several small shell ruined towns and then 
once more rushed into civilized France. 
The pretty little town of Ussy-sur-Marne 
claimed the feature of the day's trip. It was 
in this town our company had a few days' 
rest after leaving the Toul sector and while 
awaiting orders to move into the Chateau 
Thierry push. From this town we marched 
forth one early morning in the summer of 
1918 for our long hike to Chateau Thierry 
and from there to Fere-en-Tardenois, march- 
ing all the way with heavy packs, rifles, 
belts and one hundred rounds of ammuni- 
tion each. That hike during the warmest 
two days of the year and covering a dis- 
tance of sixty kilometers will never be for- 
gotten by us. 

Our train stopped for evening mess in the 
yards of Noisy-le-Sec, a suburb of Paris. 
Then shortly afterwards we were under way 
and upon awakening on the morning of April 
11th found we were in the railroad yards 
northwest of the gayest little city in the 
world — Paris. 

Some of the boys were sore when they 
realized how close to Paris we were and 
could not get in. But the thoughts of home 
soon offset our desire to go A. W. 0. L. By 
standing on top of the cars we could easily 
recognize some of the most noted points of 
interest, including the Eiffel Tower, Arch of 
Triumph and the highest Ferris Wheel in 
the world, which measures three hundred 
meters from ground to top. 

Upon leaving the yards around noon we 
made a half circle around the city of Paris, 
obtaining a bird's-eye view of the capitol, 
and towards evening stopped for mess on 
the outskirts of Versailles. 

After much, and I might say strenuous, 
parleying with some of the train crew we 
extracted the information that we would in 
all probability be delayed at this point for 
five or more hours. The reason being given 
that we changed engines here and the en- 
gine assigned to our train had not arrived 
or had not been made yet, I could not clearly 
understand which. 

Taking advantage of the opportunity thus 
afforded us, a few of the more adventurous 
boys decided to go A. W. 0. L. for a few 
hours and pay their respects to the little 
town and incidentally obtain a closer view of 
the famous palace of Versailles, erected dur- 
ing the reign of Louis XIV, and which is 
now playing such a jjrominent part in the 
final peace conference of the Great World 
War. 



80 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



We started out and after much climbing 
and crawling under freight cars we arrived 
at the edge of the town. Up to this time 
our intentions had been of the best, but de- 
siring information as to the shortest route 
to the palace we entered one of those ever 
tempting thirst emporiums and once again 
we found to our dismay that the bar maids 
of that cozy little place could neither speak 
nor understand their own language, even 
though we were using our very best French, 
and during the course of the argument one 
of our party so far forget himself as to or- 
der a round of drinks, entirely forgetting 
the fact that we had entered the place sim- 
ply for the source of information, but as he 
remarked and we just naturally had to agree 
with him, our argument was becoming dry 
and needed oiling, and then again some one 
asserted that the bar maids were getting 
lazy leaning over the bar and should be put 
to work. After each of our party had had 
the honor of toasting our home-going, the 
main purpose of our visit ebbed away. 

In the meantime our party was increased 
to the extent of a couple of train girls who 
were employed in the railroad yards instead 
of trainmen, and they were given a royal 
welcome. However, after we had watched 
them store away without any appai*ent ef- 
fect to their normal equilibrium a great 
quantity of that famous water colored liquor 
that incidentally has a kick more violent 
than that of a mule, we decided that their 
storage capacity far excelled our supply of 
francs and sighed with relief when they de- 
cided they had to return to their work. 
About the same time some kill-joy happened 
to remember our own train, and after hast- 
ily glancing at a watch discovered it was 
long after 10 o'clock and our train may have 
long since gone. After a farewell round we 



awakened one or two of our over-capacitated 
comrades and started back with the two 
train girls acting as guides. Not that we 
needed guides, but it had grown dark, and 
being strangers, etc. — and it turned out 
rather well at that. 

Great was our joy when we found that 
our train had not as yet departed, and after 
deciding to revisit the town we appropriated 
the conductor of the train to be certain of 
its being there on our return, and back we 
went. 

The balance of the evening is somewhat 
hazy in my mind and even though some of 
the fellows who had not accompanied us on 
our sight-seeing voyage have tried to im- 
press me with what they claimed to be the 
truth regarding our final return to the cars 
a few moments before they pulled out of the 
yards, I am inclined to disbelieve them and 
therefore refuse to implicate myself. 

We left the yards of Versailles about 11 
o'clock that evening and the railway offi- 
cials must have lost track of the train en- 
tirely, or became conscious-stricken, for we 
kept moving all that night and all of the 
next day, on the evening of which we pulled 
into the great A. E. F. concentration camp 
at Le Mans. We stayed in the cars that 
night, and the next morning, April 13th, 
moved down the road ten kilometers to the 
Belgian Camp, an addition to the Concentra- 
tion Camp, where we detrained and marched 
to the barracks that were to be our home 
until we left for the port of embarkation. 

Our first step comprising nearly six hun- 
dred kilometers from the devastated regions 
of France to the Concentration Camp, and 
incidentally towards America and Home, had 
been taken. 

PVT. R. E. SULLIVAN. 




Le Mans 



Bif.st 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



81 




82 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



Just N 



Ask any Front-line Engineer who won the 
war and he'll most likely tell you, "The M. 
P.'s, backed up by the Y. M. C. A." But, 
once get him serious, and he'll invariably 
tell you the same as I'll attempt to here. 

The doughboy won the war, at least Uncle 
Sam's end of it, which coming down to bed- 
rock, is the end that counted ; the final or 
knockout. Just plain doughboy nerve and 
stick-to-it-iveness, in a game which he didn't 
know the rules or the style — simply figuring 
that there was a war over here to be stopped 
- — and he stopped it. It is possible to ti-ain 
a soldier in many ways, but the attribute 
that really counts is NERVE ; and that must 
come with the man— and the American 
doughboy sure had more than his share. 

Not inferring that other branches of the 
service did not also require Nerve, for they 
did, but theirs wasn't to always fight and 
practically live on this Nerve. Engineers 
were generally selected from their trade or 
professions in civilian life. It was no trick 
for a New York Central engineer to come 
over here and guide a French "dinky," even 
under shell fire, or an Idaho road constructor 
to fill a shell-hole. Artillery, especially 
heavy, had principally to do with mathe- 
matics and strong backs. Signal Corps with 
electricity and its field, while if any branch 
requires study and training, aviation cer- 
tainly does. With all the nerve in the world, 
it is one thing that cannot be learned in a 
few months. Even ofi'icers, taught to com- 
mand, found that simplified through the tra- 
dition of army life. It was simply a "rule 
of the game," and as such it stood, but — 
when they displayed nerve, it was a repeti- 
tion of "same old doughboy nerve" that was 
part and parcel of the Man, and not some- 
thing taught the Officer. 

In other words, most of these branches 
knew just what they were "up against." Of 
course, without their aid, all the valor in 
the world could have availed the doughboy 
nothing, for they were the means to his end, 
but — all the training in the world cannot 
make a fighter, and any doughboy will tell 
you that he learned more during his first 
six minutes in a Front-line than he did in 
all his six months or more in the States. 

Doughboy life can be divided into three 
classes or series: First, lying awaiting in 
a trench ; second, resisting and stopping an 
attack, and finally pursuing the fleeing but 
biting Hun. 



erve 



The first and hardest, that nerve racking 
expectancy of trench life during all kinds of 
weather, was only endured by a fev/ of the 
veteran divisions, among whom the 1st, 
26th, 42nd, 2nd and 32nd were especially 
noticeable. We were with the first two dur- 
ing their entire stay in the Tour sector, and 
the other three were on either side of us, 
hence we feel we are in a position to state 
that the "lying waiting" in a trench is easily 
the hell that Sherman spoke about. 

The stand of the 26th when the Hinden- 
burg Circus (famous Prussian shock troops) 
charged them at Seicheprey — America's first 
real victory — and the glorious "stone wall 
defense" of the 2nd and 3rd at Chateau 
Thierry, needs no added laurels from my 
humble pen. They held — and the Boche sim- 
play failed to advance. 

In the final class, before passing to the 
Argonne, we must at least mention the dar- 
ing drive from the Marne to the Aisne, each 
in his turn, by the 1st, 26th, 42nd, 32nd, 
28th, 3rd and 4th Divisions. But that drive 
and the Argonne (each and every division 
counting) are both history, and space does 
not permit us to enumerate the valor and 
brave deeds of every individual division that 
advanced during that epic drive, but one ex- 
emplification of doughboy nerve, history can 
never do full justice to — the famous dash 
and stand of the comparatively untrained 
35th Division from Kansas and Missouri. 

For the first five days of the drive they 
steadily advanced or stubbornly held their 
ground, unaided by their own heavy artil- 
lery (it was blocked behind at the shell holes 
and mine craters which we were hastily put- 
ting into a passable condition). Merely an- 
other case of doughboy nerve — doughboy 
nerve and rifles against the combined infan- 
try and artillery which the Boche hurled in 
prodigiously in an attempt to stem the never 
stopping tide of American advance. 

According to the rules of the game, he 
should have fallen back, but not that boy 
with the Springfield ; he simply doesn't play 
the game that way. We buried a great 
many, but never a one that wasn't facing 
Berlinward. Alive and fighting, or wounded 
and dying, that word "Retreat" can not be 
found in the American doughboy's vocabu- 
lary. 

Now ask any Engineer if that isn't right. 
PVT. R. M. STACK. 



84 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 




Capt. Silna Saunders 



Capt. Saunders ( Liet. Turkington) 



Our Sal Girls 










J(!^M<1 



Mess Sergt. Lieut. Stella Envoy Irene 

McCormick, Co. A Young Mclntyre 



Envoy Gladys Lieut. Myrtle 

Mclntyre Turkington 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 85 



Salvation Army 

Preface 

It is dangerous to describe a clever, well- 
known organization. If the historian makes 
too good a job of it, one is apt to curl the 
lips and respond with immortal doubt ; on 
the contrary, if the writer is lax or represses 
himself, the reader is likely to be uncon- 
vinced. 

Nevertheless here goes our effort on be- 
half of the Salvation Army. 



Prologue 

Variety may be the spice of life, but dif- 
ferentiation is the zest of existence. For an 
example compare the two popular army ex- 
pressions, namely, "S. O. L." and "Sal." 
What the former isn't, is the latter. 

As We First Found It 

The majority of the cold, sleety, early 
March days had been spent in dug-outs 
awaiting Jerry's permission to continue our 
important task of quarrying. Then the 
draggy hike back to comp for evening mess 
(truly named). 

As we trudged along the muddy road, lug- 
ging our full issue, including our trusty 
Springfield, one hundred rounds, gas masks 
and tin hat, some one mentioned an outfit 
new to us all, located in D'Ansanville. Sol- 
dier fashion (not afraid to try anything) we 
agreed to give it the "once over." 

Diagonally across from the old shattered 
church we saw the homely but businesslike 
sign swinging from the street side of a 
ruined building. Cold and tired, we dragged 
in under the blanket, which replaced the 
missing door. Chatters and music from one 
of those "I dont' want to get well" boxes 
was the initial gi'eeting. Pushing our way 
through a group of doughboys, behold were 
wonders in this shell torn house. A Q. M. 
tarp sufficed for the missing part of the 
roof. Truly it was not an exactly glittering 
temple of mirrored lights that we had en- 
tered. In fact a dozen or so candles supplied 
the illumination. However, it was the most 
homelike, comfy, pleasing place we had 
struck over here. Yet it was more than 
that, it was the "Sal." 

What made it so fetching and peace like? 
It may have been the inviting, appetizing 
odor of frying doughnuts and hot chocolate; 



86 COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 

it may have been the music ; it may have 
been the atmosphere created by honest to 
goodness American girls from God's coun- 
try ; or it may have been — well, the truth is 
we never could tell just what gave the "Sal" 
its buddy like appeal to us. 

But the above in a crude manner describes 
our first contact with the "Sal." 

Former Impressions 

Prior to the war my opinion of the Salva- 
tion Army (and thank goodness false im- 
pressions are changeable), was a bunch of 
drum beaters crying words of rescue to sup- 
porters of John Barleycorn. 

Unadvertised But Where Most Needed 

Their drums and bugles have gone to the 
salvage dump, for they now need no added 
attraction. 

No vivid posters, no full page advertise- 
ments did we see for this God-fearing little 
band. 

They needed no publicity department. 
They did not concentrate in the S. 0. S.. but 
defying dangers were always found up front 
where most needed. 

Days and night and with ceaseless and en- 
ergetic, unglamorous faithfulness did the 
"Sal" supply those going to and from the 
Lines with fresh doughnuts, hot coffee, choc- 
olate and at times, pies. 

Doughnuts and Pies 

And the doughnuts and pies ! The phrase, 
"Just like Mother makes," has been unjustly 
abused from time to time. But they are the 
only words, in my opinion, that fully gives 
justice to those pastries. 

The congenial nature of the "Sal" girls 
made one forget "Sherman's version." 

Appreciation 

It is difficult, very difficult, to write our 
sincere and heartfelt appreciation of the va- 
ried and many ways and times this band of 
heart cheerers has won praise through their 
efforts. 

The above, although our personal thoughts, 
are, we dare say, those and backed to a man 
by "A" Company. 

For further proof "Ask the man who was 
in it." 

Hencefore count us in as a boomer for the 
"Sal." 

SERGT. WESLEY GRAUER. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS , 87 



I Want 



I want to see a ti'oUey car 

Go chasing down the street. 
I want a suit of B. V. D.'s 

And Oxfords for my feet. 
I want my latest summer suit, 

A straw hat for my bean ; 
The dearest, cutest silken sox 

That man has ever seen. 
I want a bathtub clean and white, 

With water cold and hot. 
And soap and towels that are rough 

You bet I want a lot. 
I want a great, big, comfy bed 

With mattress soft and deep. 
I want to stretch right out on it 

And sleep, and sleep, and sleep ! ! 
I want a lot of cold ice cream 

And candy soft and sweet. 
With lots of other things I know 

To drink and also eat. 
I want a million things or so, 

Useful and foolish, too. 
But honest, girl, my greatest want 

Is you, just you — dear you. 

"Ain't that sweet and delicious?" All I need now is a girl to send 
it to. 

PVT. E. ROBERTSON. 



88 COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



Soldier to the Red Cross 

So much has been told of the great work of the Red Cross since the 
beginning of the World's War in 1914, by our leading statesmen, mili- 
tary heads, writers, professors and men of letters, that the public very 
nearly knows what a great service to Humanity this institution has 
been. Yet these men, as a rule, have never had reason, through actual 
experience or personal contact, to know just what the Red Cross has 
meant to the ordinary soldier in France — and its consequent bearing on 
his personal opinion. He alone can appreciate their results. Those un- 
touched by its curse can hardly conceive the suffering and horror of 
modern warfare, neither can they understand the feelings of those 
who've clutched the succoring hand of this Angel of God. 

In one way or another, at the Front, in the hospitals or back in the 
S. O. S., the Red Cross has played a vital part in the lives of all the 
Allied soldiers — and particularly with the American — because the great 
gap that stretches across the ocean to home has thrown them more or 
less on their own resources. Traveling on leave or detached from his 
unit, seldom is he not entirely dependent on them for food and quarters, 
a problem difficult to solve, for the always tired and sometimes discour- 
aged soldier, in a land where comforts are scarce. After journeying for 
hours in cold box cars or crowded coaches, the things his nerves and 
empty stomach craves for are laid before him in a fashion as only 
mothers know. And the atmosphere created by these cheerful and con- 
siderate workers in the hotels and canteens, not only makes him feel 
welcome but very much at home. The larger his appetite and the freer 
he is from funds, the greater is his welcome. And, were it not for the 
hot soup or coft'ee and the doughnuts that mysteriously appear on cold, 
wet nights, the mental and physical strain of days and days in the lines 
would, in many cases, have proven fatal. Oftentimes the frequent visits 
of this Angel were the sole reasons hand and heart held out — staying 
the utter collapse of body and spirit. As of magic, miserable wretches, 
disgusted and sore, regained strength and will carry on, refreshed 
till the relief came in. 

In the hospital their gentle care and never tiring efforts to mend 
and heal the thousands of sick and wounded has made men speak of the 
Red Cross as of something sacred, God-like, whose kindness they can- 
not undertand. Such sympathy and devotion bewilders them. Human 
hearts are capable of only as much gratitude, but the hearts of these 
victims, snatched from the "great beyond," are grateful — beyond ex- 
pression. 

At the Front, beyond the dressing stations, exposed to death and 
destruction by flying shrapnel, poison gases, etc., these agents of Hu- 
manity, fanning the last spark of life in the bleeding, mangled forms — 
rescuing that which savages would destroy, have sown the seeds of a 
code that will re-enlighten the world for centuries to come. Their human 
salvage heap will stand not as a glorious sacrifice, but as the greatest 
obstacles to future wars, the greatest influence for world peace. 

But this is not all. The work of the Red Cross as a whole had a 
stupendous influence on the army, and large credit is due it for the great 
victory. Now, the worthwhile job of this generation done, the men will 
return to civil life cherishing fond memories of this greatest Mother of 
all. In our hour of need we did not call to her in vain. 

PVT. "GIL" COOPER. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



89 




Knights of Columbus Overseas Relief Hut 



90 COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 

Company '*A" Wound Stripes 

By "Sarg" Carter 

It is maintained that the following inci- 
dents have wounded our feelings to the ex- 
tent that we are deserving of a number 
of wound stripes. G. H. Q. probably would 
not approve of them or issue their warrant, 
but if being gassed earns a wound stripe, 
what would we be entitled to for having 
these thrust upon us? 

1. "Picks and shovels." Think of it, 
they were thrust upon high grade men of 
skill. That is the high-brow idea of the 
West Point Engineer who knows more about 
squads east and west than he does of prac- 
tical work. 

2. "Dropping G. I. Cans at Burley." 
The Boche avions tendered us a reception 
the second evening we were in camp. We 
do not know whom to give to, whether to 
the Boche avions for poor markmanship, or 
to the jurgment of locating the camp near 
an ammunition dump. 

3. "Called Draft-Dodgers and Misfits." 
We volunteered our services to Uncle Sam, 
some of us have missed our calling, 'tis 
true, but, to be called one by one surely is 
deserving of a stripe. 

4. "Calling off all leaves." We had been 
in France six months, working seven days 
each week and some weeks seven days and 
a few nights. We had camped within seven 
kilometers of the fighting front. Working 
through snow, rain, mud and cold and 
cleared ourselves of three patches of cooties. 
We were called in, cleaned up and awaited 
the arrival of the train to carry us on our 
leave. Two hours before arrival of train, 
all leaves were called off. Can you imagine 
that one? 

5. "Barb-wire wished on us." Can you 
imagine a young insignificant man who 
thinks he owns Chicago, who has had on 
long pants about two years, who is just out 
of college, telling an old veteran road builder 
to repair the metal of a road by filling the 
hole with barb-wire. 

6. "Three days Bread and Water or 
Court Martial." Can you blame a man for 
going A. W. O. L. to see something that 
looks like a city, after having seen nothing 
but No Man's Land, dug-outs, destruction, 
demolition and devastation during the war? 
It was actually cruel. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



91 



How D ye Get That Way? 

Captain J. J. Davy 



A mere outline of his experiences as appeared in the Preston Times, 

Preston, Minn. 



Captain J. J. Davy spent the week end 
with Preston friends and all were glad to 
welcome him back from foreign shores. He 
landed in Boston June 9th and was dis- 
charg-ed from the army July 8th. Tuesday 
he assumed his new duties as Division Road 
Engineer, and will have supervision of a 
dozen or more counties in this corner of the 
state, a distinct promotion over his former 
position of Road Engineer of Fillmore coun- 
ty, and of course a substantial increase in 
salary. Division headquarters have not yet 
been decided upon, but if Preston was more 
centrally located we feel certain that we 
would be "it." 

Captain Davy has seen something of the 
world war since he left Preston in the 
spring of 1917. He entered the service at 
Fort Snelling May 8, 1917, where he at- 
tended the First Officers Training Camp, 
and afterwards the Engineer Officers Train- 
ing Camp at Fort Leavenworth until August 
15, 1917. On September 1, 1917, he was 
assigned to the 23rd Engineers at Camp 
Meade. He left for the Port of Embarka- 
tion on November 10, 1917. Shortly after- 
wards he landed at Brest, France, and en- 
tered the Toul sector with the 1st Division 
as Company Commander, Co. A., 23rd Engi- 
neers. He saw active service in Seichprey, 
Fliery, Xivray, Apremont, and on July 17, 
1918, landed at Chateau Thierry where he 
participated in the great offensive till Au- 



gust 8th, being Chief of Road Service, 1st 
Army, Aisne-Marne offensive ; Vesle Sector 
Occupation, August 8th to September 8th ; 
gassed at Fismes, but not seriously ; St. 
Mihiel offensive September 8th to 15th; Ar- 
gonne-Meuse offensive, September 15th to 
October 27th, as Army Road Officer. On 
the last named date at Romagne-sous-Mont- 
faucon, he was wounded by a piece of shrap- 
nel from a bursting shell, the steel passing 
through his leg just under the knee, shat- 
tering the bone but miraculously missing 
the big artery. This wound ended his fight- 
ing days as when he was released from the 
Hospital on January 10 ,1919, the armistice 
had long since been signed. From January 

to May 15th, .— , he was assigned to 

reconstruction work in the battle area, but 
he was not sorry when the call came to go 
home. 

"Jack" would give only the mere outlines 
of his experiences and this on persistent 
questioning, but as his duties and those of 
his companions in the Engineering Corps 
were largely to render passable the roads 
over which the armies moved, we can well 
imagine that his duties called him well with- 
in range of the Hun shells, and we feel cer- 
tain that he performed his dangerous tasks 
like the good soldier that he is. Here's hop- 
ing that he may live long to enjoy the 
fruits of a victory in which he had an ac- 
tive part. 



P. S. — What did you tell the "Town Squirt"? 



92 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



The Highwayman, Jan. 31, 1919 

First Battalion Number 
WATCH US CELEBRATE OUR WOODEN ANNIVERSARY 




TO THE OTHER 75 PER CENT 

You are cordially invited to be present at 

The Second Decoration of the First Battalion 

For Service Overseas. 

(Bring your hammers and see if we care.) 



The Cause 

Hear What Company "A" Says 



With this eventful and ever-to-be-remem- 
bered week comes not only the dawning of 
our second service stripe, but the joyful 
news from "The Highwayman" that the 
First Battalion is invited to publish this 
week's issue of the Regimental Journal. 

No doubt it is through the craving for 
news from the men who have lived on the 
front and taken a goodly share in the recent 
conflict that we are allowed this honor. 
From our hearts on out we have often 
thought of those boys "Back There" and 
have always tried to make ourselves be- 
lieve that they had not ostracised us from 
the rest of the regiment, but that due to 
the great, dark War Cloud hovering over 
the Western Front it was impossible for 
them to see us. Since from this land of 
Mars that cloud has been lifted for two 
months or more we are glad that they can 



see us and that their thoughts of us will not 
appear to them as a bore. 

Regiment: — Through "The Highwayman" 
we greet you. Herein noted, find our easy, 
unexciting, joyful life, compared with that 
uneasy, exciting, unjoyful life back there in 
that great land of uncertainty — the S. 0. S. 

Much to our annoyance upon our arrival 
in France, we were delayed in St. Nazaire 
for about ten days before we were sent to 
the Front. But at last good things come to 
those who wait, and ere another week had 
passed we were the wielders of man's size 
picks and old No. 2 shovels. It was on the 
First American Front that we were sta- 
tioned, and naturally, being the first high- 
way troops to arrive in this war-ridden 
country, we found no small amount of work 
awaiting us. So in need of road builders 
were they that it was six long weeks before 
we could be granted a day of rest. Every 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



93 



day found us working, from the end of 
darkness to the beginning of darkness, rain 
or shine, under shell fire and through mud, 
struggling endlessly at the Main Job. 

Our grievances were few. We had a 
mess of corned beef, hard bread, black cof- 
fee, and nice, cool, soothing canned toma- 
toes two or three times a day. It was nec- 
essary to stand in the rain to eat same, as 
sheltering facilities were limited, due to the 
fact that the great influx of army mules 
into this country was demanding the com- 
forts of our quarters. The only way we 
could obtain a pair of dry socks was to 
sleep on them. Boots, back in those days, 
were as much a novelty to us as white 
bread was to the Fri'iicli. We had seen 
some fun, and our wish was: "If you peo- 
ple were only over here to join us." 

Then we wondered: "Do you suppose 
they will get over here before the thing is 
over?" So we started to inquire as to your 
whereabouts, and you can imagine our sur- 
prise and happiness when we learned that 
you had already been in the Old World a 
week or so. 

Still we labored on. By daylight building 
roads to outwit the boche, and through the 
darkness of night we labored harder dodg- 
ing shell and bombs, trying to gain that 
unattainable objective known as Sleep. Five 
months of this passed, and we heard the 
horrid rumor that engineer troops only put 
in six months at the front, and then they 
were to be relieved and retired to the excit- 
ing S. 0. S. for "reel" warfare. The sixth 
month passed. The big move came, and 
don't you know — we came within a few 
miles of seeing Paris. Then we rested for 
ten days on the banks of the Marne. The 
main source of attraction was French Ma- 
demoiselles, for we really saw some there. 
It was hard to believe that they actually 
existed, because we had been over here six 
long months and had not seen a single one. 
A few days later we received the joyous 
news that we were going up ahead into the 
Chateau-Thierry salient. We were also in- 
formed that it was all "bunk" about any 
other outfits coming up to relieve us. 

We entered upon the war-ridden land, 
over which the American artillery was prov- 
ing its worth to the world. With the aid 
of Truck Ten it was up to us to pave the 
way for their advance. The days were un- 
eventful, as nothing came in under a six- 
inch shell. In the evenings we sat and en- 
joyed the beautiful Northern Lights pro- 
duced by the flare of bombing planes that 
racked the air with their groaning, moaning, 
deep-seated roar. (Compre deep-seated roar? 
If not, see note.) 



In these night dreams we could see many 
of our less fortunate brethren back in Nev- 
ers and Bordeaux, eating ice cream on those 
hot summer nights, trying to cool their ex- 
cited selves so that they might lie down, 
casually turn on the light and read about 
the war. 

Now we were just getting into our war 
harness, and a few weeks more found us 
working like "thieves in the night" to help 
launch that final Argonne push. For sev- 
eral days and nights we quarried the rock 
and built storage piles in great heaps just 
a few kilometers back of the first line, thus 
enabling us to rush up and shoo-fly the two 
gaping and yawning mine craters north of 
Neuvilly. 

The night that great and well chronicled 
World drive opened found us repairing the 
shell-torn roads to allow the two- and three- 
line traff'ic of an advancing motor-horse-, 
and man-drawn army to push onward. That 
morning we were constructing the detours, 
being molested only by flying Jerries over- 
head, incoming shells on all sides, and 
treacherous mines under foot. 

It must have been a grand and glorious 
feeling for the brethren back in the S. 0. S. 
to rush down town early the next morning, 
buy a paper, and read about the Allies hav- 
ing launched the drive that was to free the 
world from autocracy. It must have thrilled 
them to such an extent that they swore 
they would see the front or bust, for a few 
weeks later we heard of other "Highway- 
men" being around the Argonne. Upon 
seeing them we learned for the first time 
that the 23rd was really going to have leath- 
er jerkins, and that men could receive, 
through issue, blouses that would fit them. 

But, oh hell ! let's talk about something 
else. There's the BAND. They've just been 
a-visitin' all round First Battalion giving us 
rip-roaring concerts, and now that we have 
got a taste of Big Time and Jass, we are 
going to keep 'em, and they won't have to 
do any K. P. or construction with Heinies 
at their elbows. We are ready to go any- 
where and mobilize with the rest of the 
family. Then we will all agree on two fac- 
tors: first, that we are ready to go HOME; 
second, that it might be a few years yet 
before we WILL SAIL — as we are only 
VOLUNTEERS. 

NOTE: We have in all cases tried to re- 
frain from using expressions that originated 
on the front. If, in a few cases, some have 
slipped in, kindly ask any First Battalion 
man going HOME on the boat to explain 
them. Then we can all land in New York 
with the same "line." 

—By Pvt. M. M. Small. 



Of Ted Walker 



For Ted Walker 



By Ted Walker 




SI] Ifvw^^LP Jf^^fFi Wk 



Ted Walker's Official Journal of the 23rd Engineers 

THE TED WALKER NUMBER 



VOL. 1 



FEBRUARY 10th, 1919 



No. 1 



SERGT. TED WALKER 

Seigt. Ted. Walker was bom somewhere on ing), CABARET SINGER (Bergman has nothing 
the Coast. (President Grover Cleveland closed all on "Our Theodore"), JOURN.ALIST (He admits this 



saloons on this eventful and ever 
to be i-emembered date.) Tradi- 
tion tells us he was bom with an 
Underwood in his hands, which ac- 
counts for his peculiar neck (It's 
also under wood), and that, simi- 
lar to Achilles of yore, his parent 
early bathed him in the waters of 
the Pacific, thus coating his hide 
with California "bull," which has 
ever since proved invulnerable to 
any, thought not in concord with 
his own conceit or self-sufficiency. 

While still young, he showed 
signs of. his future greatness as 
his sketches, poems and quaint 
sayings upon the walls of the old 
family "Eye-Sore" to this day bear 
testimony. 

Had he but confined his efforts 
to the family "Relief," we might 
today have a "HIGHWAYMAN," 
of which we could be proud and 
not a "mere stirrer of regimental 
discord." 

He had little trouble in school. 
He knew everything without being 
taught, as he afterwards became a 
commercial artist. Entering the 
Battle of Life and not to be both- 
ered with any one particular line, 
this "man who knows everything" 
rapidly succeeded himself as a 
SIGN PAINTER (which he says 
any damn fool can do), COMMER- 
CIAL ARTIST (ask Dennie Down- 



GOTT 
STRAFE 
THEJST 

BATTflLIONi 




OUR HEROES 

FF\\/0RITE 

PORTRAIT 



himself), and— SOLDIER (which 
now conclusivelvproves "Why Girls 
Leave Home), and MANY MORE. 

Soldieiing, .just naturally, came 
to Our Hero — he's SO handsome. 
Beginning as a lowly sign painter 
he "shipped the regiment" (sten- 
ciled the bo.xes) and safely landed 
it in France .April 13lh, as he 
afterwards informed the First Bat- 
talion in HIS famous "Highway- 
man." 

Bravery in the battles of the S. 
O. S. promoted him to "sergeant" 
and a promise of a commission. 
(He ought to have one — he has 
the leather leggins), and only the 
other day he confided that he was 
going to just raise HELL with his 
pal, the Colonel, if he did not soon 
get it. 

It is a dispute whether he will 
be buried in Napoleon's Grave or 
Grant's Tomb. He has requested 
that Sergt. Major Tingle have 
charge of his funeral and that Top 
Sergts. .lohnson, Ro-senthal and 
Fisher, with three more old friends 
in the First Battalion to act as 
pall bearers, while Maj. Watson 
repeats the solemn words "Res- 
quiescant in pace" — that is, if 
somebody in the First doesn't 
throw him overboard on the way 
back. 



AN INTERVIEW 



"My well-known modesty forbids me to more 
than mention my name, which is so well advertised 
in the woi-ld of .louraalism and Art. A more fit- 
ting subject by a more capable man, I'll admit, 
could not be found. I suppose to here and now 
announce my candidacy for the Presidency in 1920 
(just litearliy thru.st upon me by my adherents, the 
First Battalion) through the though tfulness and 
regimental, fraternal spirit of my fellow editor. 



Sergt. Major Tingle of the "First Battalion Pro- 
test" is hardly in keeping with the policy of the 
"Highwayman" (My Sheet), until I am able to 
send you boys home, which I would do immediately 
were "it not for the fact that Major Stickney and I 
have not yet been able to quite line you all up with 
lucrative positions back in the States. 

Yours conceitedly. 

TED. 



Page 2 



THE HIGHWAYMAN 



THE HIGHWAYMAN 

The Highwayman— Sergt. Ted Walker's official 
journal of Ted Walker. 

Always address Sergt. Walker with "Sir" and all 
proper military honor. 

Editor— Sergt. TED WALKER. 

EDITORIAL COLUMN 

"All the rest of the regiment are dam fools." 

MY SHEET, by Heck 

"I wish to state that this issue is as it should be 
written every week. While heretofore, if I have 
occasionally mentioned some of the rest of the regi- 
ment, it was only to kid them along. This is MY 
SHEET. Get out of MY COLUMN, Tingle." 

By the (Reg'lar) EDITOR. 



Im Sgt. 

WALKER- 
DELIVERING 
THE 

HIGHWAYMAN 



THE HlGHWaYMRN 
m 'B' Co. 



flLRIBHT DELIVER IT 
TO THE LRTRINE 
THEqM. DIDHT GIVE 
OUR ISSUE 

THIS WEEK. 




R0SIEHf\5 THE SOLUTION 



TED'S BEST SELLERS 

"Silly Mistakes in Poe's Masterpiece." 
"The Man Who Has to Know Everything." 
"How to Be as Good a Writer as I AM " 
"Touring France on a Bicycle." 
"Glaring Blunders in Foch's Strategy." 
"MY Advice to Pershing." 
"Walker's Revision of the Bible." 
"Why I Should Be the Next President." 



A FEW OF HIS FAMOUS SAYINGS 

"Gott strafe 'A' Company." 

"It's damn funny an editor can't put whatever he 
feels like into 'his own' paper." 

"ME an' the Colonel." 

"It wasn't our fault that we stayed in the S. 
0. S." 

"The 'Highwayman' didn't come up to MY expec- 
tations, and it's all the fault of that damned FIRST 
BATTALION." 

"By Heck! It's the Anvil Chorus." 



MY HISTORY OF THE 23RD 
By Sergt. Ted Walker. 



"A" Co.— Gott strafe "A" Co.— They never did 
a damn thing but knock ME. 



"B" Co.— Gott strafe "B" Co.— They're just as 
bad. 



"C" Co. — Gott strafe "C" Co. — They're worse than 
the other two. 



Truck 1 and 2; Wagons 1 and 2 — They belong to 
the same gang. 



NUF SED! 



ENCORE THE STRAFES!!! 



First Battalion Headquarters — Gott strafe the 
First Battalion Headquarters. I don't think much 
of their Sergt. Major as an editor. I'M THE 
ONLY EDITOR IN THE REGIMENT. 



"D" Co. — Didn't you read my beautiful little 
poem about this daring company in the Argonne? 
Just because "A" Co. didn't see them is no sign 
they "Wasn't" there. I SED THEY WUZ. 



"E" and 
THERE. 



'F" Co.— Are the oldest in the 23rd- 



"G" Co.— The only trouble with "G" Co. is they 
have an old "A" Co. man for a Lieut., even thouglr 
he is the best appearing officer in the Battalion. 



'H" Co.— Ran the Rifle Range. 
'I" Co.— Inherited Rider. 



".J" Co.— MYSELF— and Searle. 



"K" Co. — Were shelled out of Varennes a month 
after "A" Co. left there. BOMB! But it sounded 
good in print, and all MY boys in this Battalion 
send the "Highwayman" home. (They don't give 
a damm what their folks read.) 



"L" Co. — Under more shell fire than any other 
company in the Regiment. (They were in the Bac- 
carat Sector a few months after the First Battalion 
swam into the Toul Front. When Heinie threw 
one shell a week into the Baccarat Sector, they 
called it "a barrage." "L" Co. was also in Fismes, 
Chateau Thierry Salient, ahead of "A" Co. The 
Major ought to know.) 



"M" Co. — Was the first company in the 23rd to 

be attached to the First Amiy. (It don't count 

even if the First Army Engineer Headquarters was 

founded on "A" Co. It should have been "M" Co. 

Yours swellheadedly, 

SERGT. TED WALKER, Historian. 

ADD SECTION. (RATES— $15 per mo.) 

Special Late Wire.— Sgt. WALKER has flatly 
refused to attend the Officer's Ball on the 26th. 

By Pvt. R. M. STACK. 
Berger-Levrault, Printers. 
Nancy (M.-et-M.), France. 



96 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 










COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



97 




98 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



AMUSEMENTS 




COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



M 



Amusements 

11/29/17 Thanksgiving dinner and program. 

12/25/17 Christmas dinner and program. 

12/31/17 Dance at Laurel for Co. A by the citizens. 

1/ 6/18 Invited to M. E. Church to meet people. 

2/ 8/18 Reception at Y for 23rd Engineers at St. Nazaire. 

2/ 9/18 15th Infantry Band (Colored) Concert. 

2/14/18 Movies and Band Concert. 

4/17/18 Movies at our Y Hut. 

4/25/18 Movies at our Y Hut. 

4/29/18 Mr. and Mrs. Rurtherford. 

5/ 3/18 Bishop Isreal arranged and gave a Smoker for Co. A and 
Co. K, 162nd Infantry. 

5/ 4/18 Campbell and Keye stage a Birthday Party. 

5/ 8/18 Smoker with Co. K, 162nd Inf. Boxing and wrestling. 

5/17/18 Movies. 

5/19/18 Six Y girls give concert at LaRehanne. 

5/22/18 Elsie Janis at LaRehanne. 

5/23/18 Elsie Janis at Menil-la-Tour. 

5/24/18 Elsie Janis at Sanzey. 

5/25/18 Movies. 

5/30/18 101st Band Concert. 

6/ 2/18 Miss Kern (Singer) and Miss Seller (Harpist) at Davy 
Stadium. 

6/ 5/18 Coon Entertainment at Stadium. 

6/13/18 Concert and Vaudeville by 101st Band. 

6/14/18 Movies and 101st Band Concert. 

6/26/18 Concert by the 101st Band. 

7/ 5/18 Movies. 

7/ 8/18 Y Girls Concert. 

7/12/18 Jolly Fellow's Entertainment. 

7/19/18 Jane Bulley and Neysa McMein. 

7/21/18 Co. A's Street Fair. 

7/28/18 French entertain Co. A at Ussy-sur-Marne. 

8/ 5/18 103rd Infantry Band Concert and Minstrel Show. 

8/ 7/18 Mrs. Hoyt and Singing and Concert. 

11/ 9/18 80th Division Band Concert at St. Juvin. 



100 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 




Foot Ball 



304 Engineers, 

304 Engineers, 

304 Engineers, 6 

312 Engineers, 

312 Engineers, 

312 Engineers, 13 



19th Engineers, 4; Co 



; Co. 


A, October 28, '17. 


; Co. 


A, 12— November 4, '17. 


; Co. 


A, 0— November 11, '17 


; Co. 


A, October 26, '17. 


; Co. 


A, 0— November 6, '17. 


; Co. 


A, November 12, '17. 




Soccer Foot Ball 


; Co. 


A, 1— At St. Nazaire. 



Bowling 

Co. A, 23rd Engineers, beat Co. B, 243 pins in 2 games. 



Baseball 



5/ 5 Co. K, 16th Infantry, 9; Co. A, 10. 

7 102 Ambulance, 5; Co. A, 6. 

12 Co. K, 16th Infantry, 9; Co. A, 3. 

1.5 102 Ambulance, 17; Co. A, 9. 

18 102 Ambulance, 3; Co. A, 10. 

19 102 M. G., 4: Co. A, 7. 

22 Co. K, 16th Infantry, 3; Co. A, 9. 

26 Goldstein (D. S.), 9; Old Men, 2 (Three casualities). 

30 Balloon Squad No. 2, 2; Co. A, 6. 

6/ 2 Balloon Squad No. 2, 13; Co. A, 12. 

9 Balloon Squad No. 2, 14; Co. A, 12. 

16 Ordnance, 7; Co. A, 12. 

23 55th Artillery, 5; Co. A, 8. 
7/ 7 55th Artillery, 10; Co. A, 7. 

10 21st Engineers, 3; Co. A, 2. 

14 Truck 1, 7; Co. A, 9. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



101 



Engineers Track — Meet 

Sorcy, July 4, 1918 

Relay Team: Flint, Anderson, Lush, Wilkinson, win the Relay from 
the Field. 

Company C wins from Company A in Tug-of-War. 



Basketball 



Feb. 



8 Co. A, 44; 1st Battalion Headquarters, 2. 
11 Cooks, 11 ; Office Force, 8. 

Dynamiters, 13; Railroaders, 2. 
History Detail, 13; Transportation, 9. 
14 Co. A, 51; 815 P. Infantry Officers, 5. 
20 Co. A, 30; Neely's All Stars, 2. 

(For Battalion Championship) 
22 Co. A, 37; Co. B, 5. 
March 6 Co. A, 18; 341st Infantry, 8. 

(For Regimental Championship) 
22 Co. A. 36; Co. I, 26. 
26 Co. A, 36; Truck No. 2, 16. 



Ch 



ampions 



All 















REBQ '£P\ 







102 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 










The Average Soldier's French Vocabulary 



Bon Jour. 

Bon Soir. 

Corament-allez-vous. 

Est bon. 

Tres bon. 

Tres bien. 

Combien. 

C'est la guerre. 

Je n' ce pas. 

Ah, Oui. 

Compris. 

Avez-vous de vin Rouge. 

vin Blanc. 

Cognac. 

Champagne. 



Ou allez-vous. 

Promenade. 

Manger. 

Ou la la. 

Beaucoupe. 

Voulez vous. 

Apris la guerre. 

Mademoiselle. 

Allez. 

Toute de suite. 

Franc. 

N'est-pas. 

Fini. . 



Madeloon 



French Version — French Song. 

Quand Madelon vient nous servir a boire 

Sous la tonnelle on frolle son jupou 
Et chacum lui racout une histoire 

Une histoire a sa tacou 
La Madelon pour nous n'est pas severe 

Quand on lui prend la taille ou le menton 
Elle rit c'est tout le mal qui 'elle sait faire 

La Madelon, Madelon, Madelon. 

Translated. 
When Madelon serves us wine under the bower 

We brush her skirts and cachone, tell a story to her 
When we chuckle her chin or around her waist thrust an arm, 

She only laughs for Madelon knows no other harm. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



103 




HIS GRAVE 



0^n^ittfe^3 




■^^■s^S^^^^^^ 



N. B. An Actual German 
Grave Near Chappy, 
Argonne Drive. 



K 



an 



Willi 



le 



Witt 



AND EPITAPH 



Kan Willie Witt, 
A soldier bold, 
A son of Germany. 
Gave up his life 
As soldiers will, 
For dear Autocracy. 

Beneath the sod 

Of sunny France 

They placed him, where he fell, 

And over him 

A cross was raised, 

To show he battled well. 



"Hier ruht in Gott 

Kan Willie Witt" 

So ran the Hunnish rhyme. 

And in the shade 

Of Argonne Woods 

He slept the sleep sublime. 

Ten million "doughboys" 
Chased the Hun, 
Hell-bent-ward to the Rhine. 
They reached the grave 
Of Willie Witt 
They stopped, and fell in line. 

As on, the Prussian 

Hordes, rushed on; 

Except what stopped the lead 

Ten million thankful 

"Doughboys" cried, 

"Thank God! Canned Willy's dead." 

— Sergt. W. C. Perkins. 



104 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 




■■^f.^ 



"The Engineers" 

We build the roads, where others march to Glory, 
Brothers in danger, weariness and cold. 

They are the Heroes of a world-wide story, 
Ours is the Story that is never told. 



"A", 23rcl Engineers 



I sometimes thought that I'd settle down and get a wife, 

By Jove. 
I sometimes thought that I'd love to have some place 
I could call Home, no more to roam. 

But Hell! that very thing I've tried and found myself dissatisfied, 
I'd no more than got a start, than this Old War 

Seized my heart. 
So to the war I went, with patriotism and duty bent. 
To do my bit and give it free — 
Day after day, week after week. 
Sometimes hours elapsed before I'd eat. 
A little fun I'd see; and when I did 
I crowd into one night, months and months, 

'Ta'int right. 
But when this Great War is o'er 
And once again on God's country shore. 
The people surely will decide 
There's a balance on the credit side. 
And "Liberty" I believe will drop some tears. 
And bless "A" Company of the 23rd Engineers. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 105 

Our Company 

The bugle sounded and we answered the call. 

Not one — but thousands came. 
We knew that the Kaiser was destined to fall, 

When America entered the game. 

Our Regiment called for men with degrees, 

Or men with great practical skill. 
They quickly came and so with ease 

Our Regiment's quota was filled. 

We worked on the roads, Boche planes o'er us flying. 

While shells were plowing the ground. 
Our work here at times was both hard and trying. 

Yet not a shirker among us was found. 

Now this story's not written to try and belittle 

Any outfit here in the fray, 
But 'twould seem just like treason, if I don't brag a little 

Of the 23rd Engineers, Company "A". 



By K. 



>ome 



Ride 



They herd us in a Four-Wheel Drive, 

A Garf ord or a Mack ; 
A lot of other useless junk 

With us they also pack. 

The driver treads upon her tail. 

Starts forward with a jump, 
While we jumble, tumble rearward, 

And land with a sickening thump. 

He speeds along with fiendish joy. 

And pulls a sudden glide, 
While mixed with picks and shovels sharp. 

We lose some precious hide. 

Or gleefully while running wild, 

He takes a bump or hole, 
He reckons not our pain or fright. 

He does not pay the toll. 

Oh, aches and pains and ruined corns. 

And knees and joints all sprung, 
Are nothing in the life he lives. 

For we're the guy that's stung. 

When after many weary miles 

Of Dante's inferno, 
He pulls up with a suddent jerk. 

Then forward do we go. 

Ah, tangled mass of humans, bruised. 

Mixed in with hoe and rake. 
Now tell me truly, is it hard. 

The truck ride which you take? 

ROBERTSON. 



106 COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



Camp Burley 



Do you remember, boys, 

When first we hit the Front, 

All brave and full of "pep," 

Our Captain ever cautious 
To keep us all in step? 

Our packs just full of blankets 
And our rifles spick and span, 

From Menil-la-Tour to Burley, 
'Twas enough to try any man. 

We march in split formation. 

So the enemy could not see. 
This gallant band of Engineers 

From far across the sea. 

After hours of untold tortures, 

And as hungry as a tramp. 
Our Captain proudly pointed out 

The place we were to camp. 

A bunch of trees grew in a swamp 
Where mud was ankle deep, 

And though you'll hardly believe it. 
That's where we went to sleep. 

Pungent odors filled the night air. 
And we'd cough and turn our head, 

But modesty won't permit me 
To tell you where I had my bed. 

Since then I've slept most anywhere 
That I considered half way right, 

But I promise not to sleep again 
On what I slept that night. 

We could hear the distant rumble, 

A sound to us quite new, 
Machine guns and rifles barking. 

And of cannon firing, too. 

The Lieut., a regular I. D. R., 
Know how a camp should be, 

And sentries were quickly posted 
Behind most every tree. 

A volunteer was every man 

Who went on guard that night. 

They numbered near one hundred ten 
And all anxious for a fight. 

As though the Huns could find us 
Out there in that old swamp, 

That God had make for snakes and rats. 
And white men shouldn't haunt. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 

We've camped in many places 
In this land of broad expanse. 

But I, for one, will not forget 
Camp Burley days in France. 

There's only one Camp Burley, 
And, boys, I'm here to tell, 

When I think of old Camp Burley, 
I always think of Hell. 



107 



R. S. (BUCK), 



Why Bathe? 



I think a bath I'll take today, 

And then I'll hustle on my way. 

Oh, I don't need the bally thing, 

But then you see today is spring. 

Of course it's long since yesteryear. 

But I had to have my cooties near. 

And if a fellow bathes too much 

The cooties kinda lose their clutch. 

Now honest, Swede, they ain't so bad, 

They help to keep a fellow glad ; 

Their playful antics on on in 

The thing you call your hide or skin 

Puts pep and viniger and zip 

In all you own from heel to hip. 

But then, thrice blest the lucky guy 

Who also has the fleas that fly 

From shoulder blade to ankle bone, 

Just kinda looking for a home; 

Of course they'll sneak a little bite. 

And keep you wakeful near all night. 

But listen, Swede, just ponder this, 

Suppose you'd miss their midnight kiss? 

Who'd wake you when the deadly gas 

Was through your system trying to pass? 

God bless the cootie and the flea. 

They're here to save both you and me. 

ROBERTSON. 



Sunshine of Your Smile 

This is some life we're leading, me and you. 
But cheer up, old pal, this war must soon be through. 
We from the States will stand "Yes" man to man 
Till peace reigns in Europe and the U. S. A. so grand. 

Chorus 

Then give us a boat or anything that floats — 
Volunteer or draft, we'll take chances on a raft, 

Be it large or small, or anything at all, 

As long as we get back, boys, to the Best Land of them all 



108 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 




\ai^^e« 



Stories Heard and Overheard 

A couple of negroes belonging to the Pioneer Infantry were heard 
in the following discussion: "Nigger! what youse all complaining 'bout? 
The government put youse in this here man's army, gives youse a 
dollar a day, board, clothes, an' a place to sleep. He dun sent you to 
France and put yous to work and then bets youse $10,000 to $6.50 that 
youse won't last a month. What you want, anyway Nigger!" 



One of our young and inexperienced Sergeants at Camp Laurel, 
supervising the construction of bath house and showers. 

Sergt. R. R. J. — What would you advise, Mr. Ralston, to hold up the 
water tank? 

Pvt. R. — Why "sky-hooks," of course. 

Sergt. R. R. J. — Sky -hooks? Well, I'll see the Captain immediately 
about it, but I can't really expect the Government to put so much money 
in such work. However, I shall attend to it right away. 

And He Did. 



Let's call the roll of officers who attended the badger fight at 
Menil-la-Tour. 



Coon of the Pioneer Infantry, late for chow, and was being called 
down by Mess Sergeant, was heard to mumble: 
Feed us fast or feed us slow, 
Youse got to feed us before we go. 



One of our boys got a letter from his girl in the States asking who 
was Lieut. E. R. C. She knew F. X. K. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 109 

Medical Loot in Hospital: How did you get in here? 
Dough boy: On a stretcher. 

Conversation overheard between the Supt. of Roads and the Lieuten- 
ant in Charge: 

Supt. of R.: How are things progressing? 

Lieut, m C: Good! Under the conditions. 

Supt. of R. : Have you kept traffic moving? 

Lieut, in C: I have and I haven't. 

Supt. of R. : When have you? 

Lieut, in C. : When the M. P. sees a Cadillac or Dodge touring car 
and thinks that they really have business from here in 

Supt. of R. : Don't the M. P. keep them in column? 

Lieut, in C: I never saw an M. P. that had sense enough. 

Supt of R. : Who are these birds, anyhow? 

Lieut, in C: Mostly "Eagles," "Silver & Gold Leaves" from the 
S. 0. S. out looking for souvenirs. 



Scene — Camp Wilson, Frog excitedly talking and waving his arms 
at the bunch of Boys who were playing horseshoes. Lieut. Estell to the 
rescue and the same procedure went on. Lieut. Estell to the crowd after 
trying to make heads and tails of what he wanted, turned to the Boys 
and said, "Who in Hell knows what he's talking about?" 



Company A Boy to a big buck coon who had just ducked a 155. 

Say "Bo," how'd like to be in Dallas, Texas, now, with your pockets 
full of jack and a Hi Brown on your arm? 

"Hell !" Boss, I'l lobe to be in jail in Dallas with both ma dam arms 
broke. 



Capt. Hackett, going into civil life. 
Lieut. Kern, is going to get married. 
Lieut. Estelle, follow his father's business. 
Lieut. Trax, going into politics. 
Lieut. Gerten, going to run Chicago. 



Coon running around truck trying to get under it, which was al- 
ready crowded. 

Co. A Boy: What are you trying to do? 

Coon: Trying to get under this truck, "Boss." 

Co. A Boy: Why don't you go to the dugout? 

Coon: Where, "Boss"? 

Co. A Boy: Over there. 

Coon: Sure enough. Boss. Dis ain't no time to be foolin' a man, 
dis am serious. 



One of the niggers showing one of our boys how to do "About 
Face." Put your right foot about 6 inches in de rear an' just ooze 
around. 



Fred Hauck like'm with wooden shoes and government socks. 



Glenn Davey heard to mumble to himself: "I've done everything in 
this Man's Army but wear a Horse Gas Mask." 



First Coon: All ah wants in dis army is a x de Guerre. 
Second Coon: All ah wants is to x de ocean. 



iiO COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 

Bill Erhmin says you don't have pairs of socks in the Army, you 
just have socks. When one wears out put another on that foot. 



Please, Lawd! Keep 'em hi. 



SCENE 

Verdun — Cathedral door. Sign on door — No admittance, except with 
pass. Passes given freely to officers. 



Frog trucks good for one thing. 
Name it. 
Blocking traffic! 



These two subjects could be evolved into a long and terrible story, 
but would advise you to get them from a Company A "Bird" himself, 
to-wit: The Bread Puddin' at Camp Burley and The Flies at Villo- 
moyeine and Abbey-de-Igny. 



LISTEN 

J-0-H-N-S-O-N?? 

Yes!! I'm c-o-m-i-n-g? 



OUR CELEBRITIES 

Truck Ace Motorcycle Ace 

Dvkema. 2nd Lieut. Gertie. 



HUSH 

Scene — Horseshed at Burley. 
Time— 7 o'clock P. M., Feb. 25, '17. 

Word had been passed around that there was to be a secret meet- 
ing of the 5th Platoon and when said Member was informed, he was 
told to say not one word. 

Meeting time came and all present but two and they were immedi- 
ately brought into action, roll was called by Sergt. Mitchell, in fact twice 
to see that all were present. 

Aeroplanes whirled overhead and the night was dark and deep with 
mysteries. Occasionally the dull report of a distant gun broke into the 
quietude of the air, informing us war was still on; no man was allowed 
to smoke, yea not even to talk, lest the areo-plane overhead would see 
or hear. 

However, after the roll call, Sergt. Mitchell, in a dignified and calm 
manner, told the 5th Platoon that they had met on a serious proposition 
and that he would turn the platoon over to Sergt. McGee who would 
deliver the ultiman. 

Not a voice, not a whisper, even breathing was abated for the space 
of several minutes until Sergt. McGee had received the Platoon in a 
formal manner. 

Sergt. McGee: Comrades and Men of the 5th Platoon, we have met 
this evening on a very, very serious mission and I want you all to see 
and understand the seriousness of it. 

We! Men, have arrived upon the Field of Battle, where many have 
laid down their lives for democracy, we go forth tomorrow morning to 
do our bit, probably midst shot and shell, and I want each and everyone 
of you to do your bit like a man. 

Should shells light among us, do not falter, but keep to work. This 
is serious and we are here to help win the war. WOW!! (We went to 
the Royameaux Quarry.) 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 111 

HERE'S ONE 

For nine long months we built war roads, patched shell holes, — yet 
entirely in ignorance of the meaning of the terms, "Metal and Binder," 
ffsed so often by our Officers. 

Regimental Headquarters decided to give us a new shave-tail, on 
his first day on detail, he showed us a new way of patching shell holes 
by filling them with rolls of barb-wire. 

Now the great questions is : — was this wire supposed to be the metal 
or the binder of the road? 



One of the colored Pioneer Infantry Sergeants was much alarmed 
when he heard a nearby battery of No. 155's cut loose. After a moment's 
calm and learning what it was, he said, "Kaiser, count your soldiers 
now !" 



The Loot said to the lazy nigger: Boy, if you don't work any better 
this afternoon than you did this morning, I'm going to send you to the 
trenches to go "Over the Top." 

Nigger: Who? Me, Boss — Me? 
Loot: Yes! You! You'll go over tomorrow morning. 

Nigger: Good morning, Jesus! 



A nigger sentry of Calvary, walking his post one night, chal- 
lenged all persons in a very loud, harsh tone of voice. The 0. D. called 
around, told the sentry that in challenging parties not to use such harsh, 
rough tones; use softer tones; in fact, put some harmony and music in 
your voice. 

The next beat, the O. D. paid a visit to his post; the nigger heard 
him coming so came to a halt with a crack of heels. 

Nigger: Halt! Who's there? 

0. D.: Officer of the Day. 

Nigger: Advance, Officer of the Day, to be recognized. Officer of 
the Day advances and exchanges salute. 

0. D. : What are your orders? 

Nigger: My orders are of two classes. General and Special. 

0. D. : Good ! What are your special orders ? 

Nigger (To music) : To walk my post from end to end, around the 
guard house now and then; to salute all officers out of rank and keep 
these niggers from stealing these plank. 

O. D.: Post!! Nigger. 



Let's all get a book on "How to do the Manual of Arms" and find 
out where and how to Stack Arms. 



Lieutenant G.: Who's running this army, you or me? 
Sandusky: Well — er, I guess neither of us. 



Infantry Loot and Medical Loot having a very heated argument 
about who did the most work on the Front Line. Being unable to arrive 
at any conclusion they appeal to a double stripe service and wounded 
dough boy. 

The Doughboy, without cracking a smile, calmly replied: "C. C. 
Pills." 



112 COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 

Company Sayings 

Off that hatch. 

You can't eat there. 

Back from the rail. 

Look out! Hotstuff! 

Read'm and weep. 

Chocolate Meunier. Something the Y. 
never had. 

Are we down-hearted? 

What outfit? Buddy! 

Boy ! Howdy. 

Children, you may come in now, Father's 
fainted. 

How do you rate that? 

How do you get that way? 

Boys! J. Gould is dead. 

Knock 'em for a row. 

I can't be bothered. 

He's gone West. 

Cooties, Oh! Yes!! 

They're up! 

You can't be trusted. 

Can you beat it? 

Can't even tie it. 

Send 'em mumbling. 

Boys! Diggin' in. 

Pushing Daisies. 

Where do we go from here? 

We'll wander down the Primrose Path. 

Ka-pook-koo, "Great God how Good." 

Ain't it the truth? 

From here in, look out! 

Come and get it. 

Pipe down. 

Pull in your ears. 

He was lit up like a Polish "weddin'." 

And he's a guy from me own corner. 

Lookout! I'm comin' over. 

Light Duty. 

Fahey! Take his name. 

Can you beat these misfits? 

When do we eat? 

How do you like them Pomme-de-Terres ? 

Don't rattle your messkit. 

G-a-a-a-a-s. 

Yo!! Breakfast. 

All together, men ?? 

I never saw a Red Cross Train like that 
before. 

There's plenty of room for brains in the 
Army. 

War isn't won till the last belt buckle is 
taken. 

Hobnail barrage. 

That's the fondest thing I'm of. 

It's darker than the inside of a cow. 

Can that small town stuff. 

I'd like to be about four suits of under- 
wear south. 

Knock 'em for a goal ! 

Hit me and take it. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 113 

W-O-W! What kept you? 

S'matter, got a barb-wire entanglement 
around you? 

Wot's your name? Wot's your middle 
name? 

I'm a tough guy — Lookout now! 

My detail eats first. 

You'se Birds. 

Let's go. 

As de face, sois de picture. 

Well, what's the latest? 



Company Definitions 

The Mad House — Marguerite's Cafe at Roy- 
aumeix. 

The Skipper — The Company Commander. 

G. I. Cans — Large Aviation Bombs; Ger- 
man. 

Jerries — German Aviators, 

Fritzies — German Soldiers. 

Archies — Anti-Aircraft Shells. 

Iron — Projectories from American Artillery. 

Eggshells — Hand Grenades. 

Frogs — French Poilu. 

S. 0. L.— Same Old Luck. ( ?) 

A. W. 0. L.— Ask Lieut. Gerten. 

S. 0. S. — Service of Supplies (Bomb-proof 
Jobs) 

P. C. — Post Command, when used by a Staff 
Officer. 

L. D. — Latrine Dope. 

Slum — Meat Stew. 

Chow — Meals — Army Eats. 

Cooties — Intimate Friends. 

Seam Squirrels — See "Cooties." 

Delouser — Exterminator for Cooties. 

Fatigues — Overalls, etc. 

Latrine Dope — Gossip. 

Crabber — Grouch. 

Goldfish — Canned Salmon. 

Submarine Chicken — Same as "Goldfish." 

Corned Willy — Canned Beef. 

Punk — Bread. 

Iron Rations — Corned Willy and Hardtack. 

Belly Robbers — Kitchen Police. 

Loouie — 1st Loot. 

Shavetail — 2nd Loot. 

Dovetail — 3rd Loot. 

Buddy — Bunk Mate, also Veteran A. E. F. 

Dog Robber — Officer's orderly. 

Draft Dodgers — Men who voluntarily en- 
listed. J. J. Davy. 

Crapehanger — Pessimist. 

Number Grabbers — Drafted men. 

Stripe Chaser — Non-Coms and 'spirants. 

A. E. F. Pumps — Army Field Shoes. 

Sanitary Detail — Camp Cleaners. 

O. D. — Olive Drap, when used as medicine; 
a special kind of pill — same as C. C. Also 
Officer of Day. Effect, the same. 

Pineapple — French Hand Grenade. 



114 COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



FINISH 

Good-by, army, funny thing, 
I've done my hitch with you; 

No more can Sam Brownes get my goat, 
I'm free, thank God — and through. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 115 



THE ROSTER 



116 COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEP:RS 

Roster of Officers 

Overseas 

Capt. A. S. Hackett, 

306 Whitney Bldg., New Orleans, La. 

1st Lieut. Jesse J. Davy (Capt. "B" Co.), 
Shakopee, Minn. 

1st Lieut. Joseph Estell, 
Grapevine, Texas. 

1st Lieut. Francis X. Kern, 

Blythville, Ark., or Maniyunk, Philadel- 
phia, Pa. 

1st Lieut. George P. Trax, 

Clinton, N. C, or Baltimore, Md. 

2nd Lieut. Nicholas Gerten, 

2202 Cleveland Ave., Chicago, 111. 



Camp Meade 

Capt. Walter Beyer (Major 1st Gas Div.) 

1st Lieut. Thomas Hampton (Organizer of 
"A" Co.). 

1st Lieut. Page (Major 1st Gas Div.). 

1st Lieut. George J. Sleight, Jr. (returned 
with Co. "A") 



Regimental Officers 

Camp Meade 

Col. E. E. Johnson. 

Maj. Skinner. 

Maj. Stickney (also Tour Sector). 

Overseas 

Col. Frederick B. Kerr, 
Clearfield, Pa. 

Maj. P. J. Watson. 

Care of C and A, Chicago, 111. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS .117 



Company Roster 

Allison, Mark, Pvt. 1st Class. 

2733 Washington Ave., Houston, Texas. 
Electrician- — 18 years. 

Allman, Isaac W., Pvt. 

589 Masten St., Buffalo, N. Y. 
Carpenter Joining — 10 years. 

Alvord, Chas. W., Sergt 1st Class. 
Bishop, Calif. 

School of Mines, Reno. 

Mining and Stock Raising — 26 years. 

Building Construction — 2 years. 

Anderson, Leonard A., Pvt. 

Cambridge, Wis., R. F. D. No. 3, Box 3. 
Gas Engine Man. 

Anderson, Leslie L., Corp. 

1988 Fremont Ave., Findlay, Ohio. 
Structural Construction — 2 years. 
Concrete Construction, Reinforced — 2 
years. 

Ament, Chas. D., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Grant's Pass, Ore. 
Mining — 5 years. 

Ausbrooks, Chas M., Pvt. 1st Class. 
212 Johnston St., Modesta, Calif. 
Farming — 10 years. 
Gas Engineer — 3 years. 

Ayres, Joseph L., Pvt. 

3602 Know St., Tacony, Pa. 
Concrete Engineer — 9 years. 

Baker, Edward M., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Glenn Ferry, Idaho. 
Locomotive Engineer. 

Barnes, Edwin H., Wagoner. 

Goldendale, Wash., 3 F. D., No. 3. 
Auto Repairer — 3 years. 

Basham, Roy M., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Miami, Ariz., Box 1286. 
Pipefitter — 11 years. 

Bechtel, John W., Pvt. 

Kutztown, Pa., R. F. D. No. 2. 
Auto Mechanic — 3 years. 
Locomotive Fireman — 1 year. 
Farming — 12 years. 

Berry, Gordon, Pvt. 

Dearborn, Mich., Gen. Del. 
Auto Repairer — 5 years. 



118 COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 

Bergin, Dennis I., Corp. 

4521 Union Ave., Chicago, 111. 
Locomotive Engineer — 15 years. 
Fuel Supervisor Wabash R. R. 

I ■.. 

Bergman, Chas., Pvt. . '" 

477 Ridgewood Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
Plumber. 

Bjorkman, John G., Pvt. 1st Class. 
"1523 South 56th Court, Cicero, III. 
Wood Engraver — 15 years. 

Blatherwich, Dirwyn F., Pvt. 

1341 Federal Blvd., Denver, Colo. 
Ames University. 
Highway Construction — 4 years. 

Boardman, Francis W., Pvt. 
Worthington, Ohio. 

Railroad Clerk — 3 years. 

Bowie, William P., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Roslyn, Wash. 

Oregon Agriculture School. 
Mining — 10 years. 

Brandien, Harry E., Cook. 

176 Cherry St., Naugatuck, Conn. 
Electrician — 14 years. 

Brawley, Harold, Pvt. 1st Class. 
Mildred, Mont. 

Mechanical Work — 5 years. 
Farming — 1 year. 

Brownlee, John C, Pvt. 
Moccasin, Mont. 
Clerking — 10 years. 

Buffington, Edward P., Wagoner. 
515 Euclid Ave., Syracuse, N. Y. 
Mechanic — Typewriter Expert — 15 years. 

Burger, Roscoe A., Pvt. 

Bellevue, Ohio, R. F. D. No. 4. 
Road Material Salesman — 1 year. 
Traveling Salesman — 8 years. 

Burleaud, Albert P., Pvt. 
1720 J St., San Diego, Calif. 
Sarbonne University, Paris. 
Auto Mechanic — 13 years. 

Carter, George D., Pvt. 
Micanopy, Fla. 

U. S. Army, Philippines — 6 years. 
Clyde Steamship Company — 6 years. 
Salesman for Consolidated Groceries — 2 
years. 

Cady, Edward B., Pvt. 

433 Washington St., Mt. Pleasant, Mich. 
General Mason Work — 7 years. 
Contracting — 4 years. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 119 

Cameron, James F., Pvt. 1st Class. 
1141 21st Ave., Seattle, Wash. 

Univ. of Washington, B. S. and C. E. 
R. R. Engineering Construction — 1 year. 
Highway Construction — 1 year. 

Campbell, Andrew H., Pvt. 1st Class. 
545 Chestnut St., Pottstown, Pa. 

Carlin, Robert S., Pvt. 1st Class, Trans. 4th 
Battalion Headquarters. 
Jenkintown, Pa. 

Coates, Paul N.. Sergt. 1st Class. 
1811 Goodrich Ave., St. Paul, Minn. 
University of Iowa. 
R. R. Construction — 3 years. 
Highway Construction — 2 years. 
Drainage and Municipal Engineer — 3 

years. 
Mining Engineer — 2 years. 

Cook, Henry A., Sergt. 
Chateaughy, N. Y. 

N. Y. State Highway Engineer — 9 years. 

Cooper, Gilbert B., Pvt. 

637 list St., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
St. Augustine's College — A. B. 
Salesman — 3 years. 

Cort, John W., Pvt. 

575 Douglas St., Pasadena, Calif. 
Automobile Business — 8 years. 

Cowan, Roy S., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Bristol, N. H. 
Commercial Electrical Work — 5 years. 
University of Michigan and Oklahoma. 

Coutant, Ben W., Pvt. 

331 6th St., Grant's Pass, Ore. 

Oregon State Highway Dept. — 2 years. 
Railroad Engineer — 1 year. 

Craghill, Harold D., Pvt. 1st Class. 
1388 Center St., Taft, Calif. 
Motor Mechanic — 8 years. 

Crissinger, Alfred L., Sergt. 

Greensburg, Pa., R. F. D. No. 5. 
Practical Engineer — Supt of Roads — 5 
years. 

Cumberpatch, Stanley C, Pvt. 

2413 Hilgard Ave., Berkeley, Calif. 

Transit Man, R. R. Engineer — 12 years. 

Gushing, Chas. E., Pvt. 1st Class. 
630 Ashland Ave., St. Paul, Minn. 
Practical Engineer. 
Railroad and Drainage Engineer — 15 
years. 



120 COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 

Czajka, Gus, Pvt. 

Monclove, Ohio, R. F. D. 2, Box 2. 
Tool Making Mechanic — 5 years. 

Damon, Philip E., Sergt. 
Elmore, Minn. 
Iowa State College — C. E. 
Spanish War Veteran. 
Civil Engineering and Construction — 18 
years. 

Davey, Glen L., Pvt. 1st Class. 

417 Van Brunt St., Mankato, Minn. 
Transportation — 6 years. 

Deabill, Albert E., Pvt. 
Bakersfield, Calif. 
Garage — 4 years. 

Dean, John L., Pvt. 

Indianapolis, Ind., R. R. B. 1, 99 B. 
Blacksmith Apprentice — 4 years. 
Clerking — 2 years. 

Donovan, Adrian W., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Wilmington, Del., c/o Y. M. C. A. 

High Pressure Steamfitter — 5 1/2 years. 

Draper, Owen H., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Springville, Ala. 

Alabama Poly Tech. 

U. S. Steel Land Dept.— 2 years. 

Drehmann, Ernest C, Pvt. 1st Class. 
1837 N. 28th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
Concrete and Paving Work — 5 years. 

Dwyer, John J., Pvt. 1st Class. 

74 Mechanic St., Hossick Falls, N. Y. 
Clerk — 6 years. 

Dwyer, Peter J., Pvt. 1st Class. 
8 Balkan St., San Francisco, Calif. 
Compositor Printer — 4 years. 

Dykema, Albert, Pvt. 

336 Herman St., San Francisco, Calif. 
Railroading — 15 years. 

Edwards, Albert B., Pvt. 1st Class. 
709 Oregon St., Bakersfield, Calif. 
Practical Engineer. 
Highway Engineer — 4 years. 

Ehrmin, Victor V., Pvt. 
Stryker, Ohio. 
Road Construction — 3 years. 

Ellington, Will B., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Yuba City, Sutter Co., Calif. 
Prin. Biggs (Calif.) H. S. 
County Surveyor and Engineering Work 

— 8 years. 
High Schol Work — IVa years. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 121 

Engstrum, Charles, Corp. 
Halcourt, Alberta, Canada. 

U. S. A. Philippine Service — 15 years. 
Steam Engineer — 7 years. 

Erbacher, Fred, Pvt. 
1.514 Jones St., San Francisco, Calif. 
Chauffeur and Auto Man — 5 years. 

Erny, Joseph L., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Mullen, Nebr. 

Gas Engineer — 4 years. 

Fahey, John P., Pvt. 

Walter Reed Hospital, Washington D. C. 
1335 Hanover St., Baltimore, Md. 
Marine Engineer. 

Filer, Samuel R., Pvt. 

328 Bes.semer Ave., Grove City, Pa. 
Grove City College- — 2 years. 
Rubber Works — 4 years. 

Flint, Theodore S., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Los Gatos, Calif. 

Electrical Work — 2 years. 
Forestry^2 years. 
Rice Mills — 1 year. 

Fraher, Michael J. ,Corp. 
2543 Eliot St., Denver, Colo. 
Railroad Engineering— 7 years. 

Frye, Kenneth C, Pvt. 1st Class. 
Waddy, Ky. 

B. C. E., University of Kentucky. 
Highway and Land Survey— 2 years. 
Concrete and Steel Construction — IV-j 
years. 

Frost, Harry E., Pvt. 1st Class 

801 E. Main Cross St., Findlay, Ohio 
Road Contracting — 6 years. 

Gartner, Roy G., Pvt. 

170 Walnut St., Meadville, Pa. 

Germain, Charles F., Pvt. 

9 Willow St., Wollaster, Mass. 

Gilbertson, Sigurd, Pvt. 1st Class. 
1516 E. Bay Ave., Olympia, Wash. 

Alaska Railroad Construction Work — 10 , 

years. 
Lumbering — 1 years. 

Goldstein, Abe, Cook. 
Portage, Pa. 

Conway Hall College. 
Mercantile Business — 10 years. 

Gornia, Walley G., Pvt. 
151 E. 11th St., Erie, Pa. 



122 COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 

Grauer, Wesley, Sergt. 

1850 Frankford Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 
Univ. of Pennsylvania, B. S. and C. E. 
R. R. Concrete Construction — 3 years. 

Gray, Robert G., Corp. 

1375 6th Ave., San Francisco, Calif. 
Phonograph Jobber. 

Grenier, Emile, Corp. 

46 Summer St., New Bedford, Mass. 
Auto Repairer — 12 years. 

Green, E. R. 

Oregon City, Route 5. 

Oregon Agricultural — 2 years. 
Civil Engineer — 12 years. 

Grieff, Clement A., Cook. 
Carrolltown, Pa. 

Coal Mining Interest. 

Grime, Benjamin W., Cook. 

218 Greentree Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. 
Gas Engine Operator — 2 years. 

Grossi, Joseph, Pvt. 

400 Brewster St., Detroit, Jlich. 

Groft, Andrew J., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Wakeeny, Kans. 

Kansas University — C. E. 
Sanitary Engineer — 1 year. 

Grymes, Arthur J., Jr., Sergt. 1st Class. 
51 E. Park St., East Orange, N. J. 
Stevens Institute. 
Marine Engineer — 2 years. 

Del Guzzo, Anthony, Sergt. 

City Engineer's Office, Great Falls, Mont. 
Ancona Technical College. 
Public Utilities and Concrete Construc- 
tion — 9 years. 

Hart, Roy J., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Zirconia, N. C. 

Sarbonne University, Paris. 
Wake Forest College, 1914, B. A. 
Cornell. 

Hydro-electric and Concrete Construc- 
tion- — 1 year. 
Railroad Construction — 2 years. 

Hart, Wilbur D., Pvt. 

106 N. Elder Ave., Indianapolis, Ind. 
Railroading — 5 years. 

Hartley, Carl, Pvt. 1st Class. 
Springer, Colfax Co., N. M. 

Engineering on Construction Work — 3 
years. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 123 

Hauk, Fred, Pvt. 1st Class. 
Waynetown, Ind. 

Northwestern Academy. 

Bridge, Canal and Flume Construction 

— 5 years. 
Mine Engineering — 2 years. 

Henderson, Charles C, Pvt. 
Kamiah, Idaho. 

Henry, William A., Pvt. 1st Class. 
106 Prospect St., Avalon, Pa. 
Steam Engineer — 2.5 years. 

Hoeft, William E., Pvt. 

503 E. 8th St., S. Boston, Mass. 
Railroad Electrical — 2 years. 

Hoffman, Alvin W., Pvt. 1st Class. 
1145 Grant St., Hillsboro, Ore. 

Portland Trade School, Pattern Making. 
Railroad and Bridge Construction — 7 
years. 

Holland, Frank W., Corp. 

419 W. High St., Elkhart, Ind. 
Student University of Michigan. 

Hopkins, Frank, Sergt. Major 1st Army 
Engineers. 
Poughkeepsie, N. Y. 

Philippine Island Engineering. 

Hufford, Franklin E., Corp. 
1919 First Ave., Altoona, Pa. 
Carnegie Tech. 
Rate Clerk, Pennsylvania R. R. — 4 years. 

Huls, Henry J., Wagoner. 
The Dales, Ore. 

Supt. Concrete Work — 7 years. 

Humphreys, Thomas D., Pvt. 
Danville, Ky. 

University of Kentucky. — C. E. 
Railroad Engineering — 3 years. 
State Roads — 1 year. 

Humphrey, Eugene O., Corp. 

563 Wyoming Ave., Buffalo, N. Y. 
Buffalo Technical— C. E. 
Railroad Construction — 6 years. 

Hunter, William L., Wagoner. 
727 Orchard St., Avalon, Pa. 
Sheet Metal Salesman — 7 years. 

Kaufman, James, Pvt. 

55 Seigel St., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
Steel Construction — 14 years. 

Kaylor, Joseph S., Corp. 
Livingston, Mont. 
Bozeman College. 
Mechanic — 15 years. 



124 COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 

Kazin, Stanley, Pvt. 

821 W. 33rd Place, Chicago, 111. 
Tailor — 12 years. 

Keathly, Heber, Pvt. Trans. 

925 8th St., Huntington, W. Va. 
Railroad Construction — 2 years. 

Kelly, Frank D., Corp. 

145 Church St., Poughkeepsie, N. Y. 
N. Y. State Highway Engineer — 7 years. 
Gas Motor Mechanic — 4 years. 

Keye, William F., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Trans. 537th Eng., "A" Co. 
1121 South 2nd Ave., Fargo, N. D. 
Fargo College in 1915— B. A. 
Assistant City Engineer, Fargo. 
Instructor in Mathematics, S. P. C, Bei- 
rut, Syria — 2 years. 

Kinsler, Michael, Pvt. 

1381 Dubois St., Detroit, Mich. 
Auto Assembling — 3 years. 

Knauf, Jacob S., Sergt. 

Juniper St., Quakertown, Pa. 

Williamson Tech. University — 6 years. 
Building Construction — 4 years. 
Teaching — l'^ years. 

Kozarek, Stevens A., Pvt. 
820 Elm St., Antigo, Wis. 

University of Wisconsin — C. E. 
Highway Construction — 5 years. 

Kraber, Chas. H., Pvt. 
Dallas, Ore. 

Surveying and Irrigating. 
Spanish-American War Veteran. 

Krach, Fred R., Pvt. 1st Class. 

Tri-State College Fr. Mem. of A. M. S. of 
C. E. 

6340 Sangamon St., Chicago, 111. 
Railroad Enginering — 2 years. 
Irrigation, River and General Construc- 
tion — 51/2 years. 

Innis, Edward E., Pvt. 
Laurel, Mont. 

Jackson, George, Bugler 1st Class. 
2628 W. 9th Ave., Spokane, Wash. 
Automobile Repairer — I years. 

Jeffries, Chas. H.. Top Sergt. Reg. Hdqts. 
Co. Band. 
Casselton, N. D. 

R. R. Construction Engineer — 5 years. 

Johnson, Charles, Pvt. 

1002 Lindley Ave., Logan, Philadelphia, 
Pa. 
Electrician — 1 year. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS I25 

Johnson, Leo H., Cook. 

1208 11th St., Sioux City, Iowa. 
Carpenter — 2 years. 
Pastry Cook — 8 years. 

Johnson, Elmer, Pvt. 
Clayton, Wis. 
Barber — 5 years. 

Johnson, Richard R., 1st Sergt. 

38 Washington Teraree, East Orange, N. J. 
Stevens Technical, N. J. 
Mechanical Engineer — 21/2 years. 
Allied Machinery Company — 21/2 years. 

Jones, Howard T., Pvt. 1st Class 
409 Benton St., Portland, Ore. 
General Construction — 8 years. 
Brick and Plaster Construction — 2 years. 

Jones, Oscar L., Pvt. 1st Class, Trans. 
Pennsaville, Ind. 

Highway Construction. 

Jones, Sidney, Corp., Trans, to Chief Eng. 
of 1st Army. 
Yayword, Ala. Co., Calif. 

Kolf, Paul E., Trans, to Hdqts. 1st Army 
32 Fulton St., Oshkosh, Wis. 
Banking — 4 years. 

Kelly, Leo F., Trans, to 1st Bat. 
129 S. Graham St., Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Kern, E. P., Pvt., Sergt., 1st Lieut. 
Ill Mary St., Herkimer, N. Y. 
■ Highway and General Construction— 12 
years. 

Laird, Sumpter T., Pvt 

514 E. 9th St., Dallas, Texas. 
University of Texas — 3 years. 

Lavick, Charles H., Pvt. 
Marathon City, Wis. 

Lawrence, Walter E., Pvt. 
Lyman, Ky. 

Building Construction — 8 years. 

Leber, John A., Jr., Pvt. 

3I6I/2 Haynes St., Johnstown, Pa. 
Instrument Man — 3 years. 

Ledin, Samuel, Pvt. 

404 6th Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
Artist — 7 years. 

Lengel, Frederick, Pvt. 

250 Conestoga Road, Wayne, Pa. 
Carpenter — 3 years. 



126 ; COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 

Leonard, Malcom W., Pvt. 1st Class, Tran3. 
539 Howard St., Brockton, Mass. 
Boston Tech. 
Electrical Engineer. 

Lilly, James H., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Britt, Iowa. 

University of Iowa — 1 year. 
Drainage and Highway Engineer — 9 

years. 

Lind, Ernest E., Pvt. 1st Class. 

300 W. 28th St., Minneapolis. Minn. 
Die Sinking — 14 years. 

Loudenbach, Ivan R., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Glendive, Mont. 

Railroad Construction and Grading — 9 
years. 

Londelius, Frank H., Corp. 
Seattle-Bridge, Wash. 

Bryan and Stalton Tech. — 4 years. 
Building Construction and Contracting 
— 5 years. 

Lownsbury, Frank W., Sergt. 

2820 S. Grand Blvd., Spokane, Wash. 
Washington State Guard — 5 months. 
Railroad Construction, Location and 
Maintenance — 19 years. 

Lush, Lewis A., Pvt. 1st Class. 
312 Garfield St.. Harvard, 111. 
Milton College— A. B. 
Notre Dame — 1 year. 
Engineering and Construction of Street 

Paving — 2 years. 
Drainage and Inspection — 1 year. 
Teaching and Coaching Athletics — 1 
year. 

Lux, George R., Pvt., Trans. 
757 Rankin St., Flint, Mich. 

McCarty, James R., Pvt. 
Victor, Mont. 

Gas Engineer — 5 years. 
Tool Dresser — 3 years. 

McCormick, James A., Pvt. 
Derkerville, Mich. 

McCormick, Raymond M., Mess Sergt. 
1012 S. Park St., McKeesport, Pa. 
Steam Engineer — 3 years. 

McCreedy, Selden F., Pvt. 1st Class. 
118 McCullock St., Stevens Point, Wis. 
Railroad Construction- — 4 years. 
Interstate Commerce — 1 year. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 127 

McGee, Geo. J. R., Sergt. 1st Class. 
McGee's Mills, Pa. 
Penn State College— B. S. 
Civil and Mining Engineer — 12 years. 

McGinnity, Peter H., Corp. 

508 S. Sacramento Blvd., Chicago, 111. 
Salesman Highway Materials — 5 years. 

McPhee, Henry A., Pvt. 1st Class. 

CO Miss L. Dianne, 2505 E. 73rd Place, 
Chicago, 111. 
Carpenter — 7 years. 

McPharlan, Roy F., Pvt. 1st Class. 
O'Neil, Nebr. 

Mining Engineer — 8 years. 

McPherson, Kenneth R., Pvt. 
41 Seattle Ave., San Jose, Calif. 
Stanford University — B. S. 
Assistant County Surveyor — 2 years. 

Machini, Peter, Saddler. 

366 S. Montello St., Brockton, Mass. 
Heeler in Shoe Factory — 12 years. 

Marz, Joseph W., Pvt. 
Sapulpa, Okla. 

Tool Dresser — 6 years. 

Malsness, Norman J., Pvt. 1st Class. 
3106 Park Ave., Kansas City, Mo. 
Missouri University. 
Concrete Foreman — 2 years. 

Mannino, Joe, Pvt. 1st Class. 
594 17th St., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
Chauffeur — 2 years. 
Butcher — 5 years. 

Miller, Ralph M., Wagoner, Trans. 
60 Clifton St., Brooklyn, N. Y. 

Railroad Construction, Central America 
— 10 years. 

Miller, Maury 0., Jr., Sergt. 
923 Aidrie Pi., Chicago, 111. 
Purchasing Agent, Tarvia. 

Milligan, William T., Corp. 

c/o Edwards, 79 Raymond St., Providence, 
R. I. 

With Royal Engineers — 3 years. 
With Highland Infantry — 3 years. 
Steel Hardener — 3 years. 

Mitchel, Preston A., Sergt 1st Class. 
1018 Peach Ave., Memphis, Tenn. 
Alabama Poly Tech. 
Mechanical Engineer — 12 years. 

Moore, Paul, Pvt. 1st Class. 
Tyler, Texas. 

Bricklayer — 5 years. 



128 COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 

Mount, Darius 0., Corp. 
Delavan, 111. 

University of Illinois — 3 years. 
Gas Engine Expert — 7 years. 

Mura, Joseph H., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Cherokee Club, Racine, Wis. 

General Construction and Contracting — 
12 years. 

Muir, Levi, Jr., Sergt. 
Woods Cross, Utah. 

University of Utah — B. S. 
Utah State Highway Construction — 2 
years. 

Murphy, James C, Pvt. 1st Class. 
Box 292, Nampa, Idaho. 
University of Washington. 
Highways — 2 years. 
Railroad Engineer — 2 years. 

Munihy, Joseph A., Sergt. 
Box 292, Nampa, Idaho. 
Colorado School of Mines. 
Railroad Construction — 4 years. 
Mountain Highway — 3 years. 

Neely, Donald S., Sergt. 

1123 S. Woodfern St., Spokane, Wash. 
Washington State College. 
Mining Engineer — 4 years. 

Nelson, Albert, Pvt., Mil. Hosp. No. 28, Ft. 
Sheridan, 111. 

117 West 26th St., Minneapolis. Minn. 
Street Paving — 5 years. 

Nesmith, Linn W., Regt. Sergt. Maj. 
Eugene, Ore. 

Noone, William M., Pvt. 

144 River St., West Newton, Mass. 

Nolen. Milton E., Trans, to Co. "A" April 1, 
1919. 
919 N. Euclid Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Oberwetter, Austin, Pvt. 1st Class. 
3904 Wlaker Ave., Houston, Texas. 
Bickler Academy. 
Locomotive Engineer^ — 7 years. 
Railroad Work — 4 years. 

O'Brien, John N., Corp. 

101 Robenson St.. New Bedford, Mass. 
Sewer Construction — 7 years. 

Ortig, Robert, P\'t. 1st Class. 
Stevenville, Mont. 

Gas Engineer — 3 years. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 129 

Oskin, Thomas L., Wagoner. 
507 Pirl St., Duquesne, Pa. 

Supt. of Construction of Furnaces — 10 
years. 

Panse, William J., Pvt. 1st Class. 

226 S. Columbia Ave., Mt. Vernon, N. Y. 
Clerking — i years. 
Oil Production and Drill Man — 8 years. 

Perkins, William C, Sergt. 
Fairfield, Idaho. 

University of Idaho — C. E. 
Irrigation, Hydro-Electrical and Road 

Work — 5 years. 
Asst. Engineer of Oregon Short Line — ■ 

1 year. 

Petersen, Karl F., Pvt. 
Shamania, Wash. 
Columbia River Fishery^ — 5 years. 
Highway Construction — 2 years. 

Petry, Oscar A., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Rexmont, Pa. 

Auto Mechanic — 5 years. 

Pierce, James T., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Irwin, Pa., R. D. No. 4. 

Ohio Northern University — B. S. and 

C. E. 
Drainage and Dam Work — 2 years. 
Railroad Engineer — 1 year. 
Firestone Rubber Co. Engineer — 1 year. 

Pitman, Dempsey W., Pvt. 

96 Mercer Ave., Plainfield, N. J. 

Texas Agriculture and Mechanical Col- 
lege. 
Railroad Auditor of Freight Accounts — 

2 years. 

Plumb, Lawrence M., Cook. 
934 6th St., Beloit, Wis. 
Beloit College. 
Steam Traction Engineer — 5 years. 

Pond, Joseph H., Pvt. 

Booth Bay Harbor, Maine. 

Auto Truck Repairer— 4 years. 

Powers, Richard W., Pvt. 
Pittsford, Vt. 

University of Vermont — B. S. 
Garage Owner. 

Ralston, Charles M., Corp. 

1224 Washington St., Wilmington, Del. 
Carpenter and Foreman on Building. 
Concrete Construction — 12 years. 

Randall, George H., Pvt. 
Shushan, N. Y. 

Clarkson College of Tech.— C. E. 
American Bridge Company — 2 years. 



J 30 COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 

Rands — James M., Corp. 
Pocatello, Idaho. 

Washington State College — C. E. 
Agricultural Enginering and Railroad 
Maintenance — 2 years. 

Reeves, Alton C, Pvt. 

406 N. Washington St., Knightstown, Ind. 
University of Cincinnati. 
Hardware Business — 2 years. 

Reirson, Alfred J., Pvt. 
Plainview, Texas. 
Barber — 11 years. 

Roberts, Guy L., Pvt. 
Sparta, Tenn. 

Plumbing and Electrical Work — 3 years. 
Highway Construction — 3 years. 
Salesman Road Machinery — 2 years. 

Robertson, Ernest, Pvt. 1st Class. 
5138 Chester Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 
Davey Institute of Tree Surgery. 
Tree Surgery — 9 years. 

Robison, Joseph C, Pvt. 

Harrule Ave., Bridgeport, Conn. 
Mason and Bricklayer — 14 years. 

Rocha, David N., Pvt. 1st Class. 
2869 Hanna St., Oakland, Calif. 
Blacksmith — 3 years. 

Rodgers, Edwin N., Sergt. 1st Class. 
406 E. Church St., Union City, Tenn. 
University of Tennessee — C. E. 
Drainage Engineer — 3 years. 
Ass't County Road Engineer — 1 year. 

Rook, Ransom R., Pvt. 
Gifford, Idaho. 
Farmer — 6 years. 

Rowland, Jos. D., Pvt. 
Caldwell, Texas. 

Sandberg, George A., Corp. 

Hayward, Calif., R. F. D. No. 1, Box 116A. 
University of California. 
Railroad Engineer— 3 years. 
Highway and General Engineering — 2 
years. 

Sandusky, Custer C, Pvt. 

213 West Dakota St., Spring Valley, 111. 
Machinist — 3 years. 

Searight, William D., Pvt. 1st Class. 
757 Chislett St., Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Timekeeper on Construction Work — 2 
years. 

Severtson, Sigvart A., Pvt. ' 

Black River Falls, Wis. 
Electrician — Shi> years. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS . 131 

Sexton, Charles F., Corp. 

2355 Magnolia Ave., Knoxville, Tenn. 
Student University of Tennessee. 

Sheadle, Paul R., Pvt. 1st Class. 
725 Green St., WiLiamsport, Pa. 
Road and Building- Construction — 7 

years. 
Lumbering — 2 years. 
Fruit Farming — 2 years. 

Singleton, Ray M., Pvt. 
Amite City, La. 

Bridge Carpenter — 8 years. 

Shoemaker, Carlton H., Horse Shoer. 
Naples, Idaho. 

Blacksmithing — 6 years. 
Mining — 3 years. 

Small, Maynard M., Corp. 

427 N. Logan St., Lincoln, 111. 
Lincoln College. 
County Surveyor of Logan County — 1 

year. 
Ilinois Highway Dept. — 4 years. 

Snyder, Charles S., Pvt. 

619 Pawnee St., S. Bethlehem, Pa. 
Lehigh University — C. E. 
Steel Concrete Bridges — 5 years. 
Railroad Mantenance and Construction 
— 1 year. 

Sprinkle, Will, Pvt. 

104 Harris Ave., Indianapolis, Ind. 
Student. 

Stack, Robert M., Pvt., Montpellier Univ., 
France. 
160 Liberty St., Freeport, 111. 

Marquette University — A. B. 

Salesman — 3 years. 

Stahl, Herbert, Pvt. 
,,428 Hein PI., Chicago, 111. 

Stalker, John H., Corp., Sarbonne L^niver- 
sity, Paris. 

9 James St., Montclair, N. J. 
Cornell— C. E. 

Contracting and Municipal Engineer — 1 
year. 

Strachan, Norman F., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Eudora, Kans. 

Kan.sas University — B. S. 
Jr. Member American See. C. E. 
Ass't Engineer of Kansas State Board 
of Health. 

Steel, Ernest W., Pvt. 1st Class, Oxford Uni- 
versity, England. 
215 N. 11th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
Cornell— C. E. 
. Contracting and Street Work — 1 year. 
Structural Steel Work — 2 years. 



132 COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 

Straight, Ora C, Sergt. 
Granttown, W. Va. 
State Normal. 
Practical Engineer. 
Stole Business — 3 years. 
Ass't Chief Engineer in Mines — 8 years. 

Stringfellow, William M., Pvt. 1st Class. 
307 W. Sandusky St., Eindlay, Ohio. 
Ames 1 year; Ohio State 1 year. C. E. 

and Agriculture. 
Highway and Earming — 4 years. 

Strother, Van H., Pvt. 

Antero Club, Stockton, Calif. 
Street Paving — 5 years. 
Earming — 6 years. 

Stuart, Hiram F., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Roseland, La. 

U. S. Agriculture Experimental Station 
— 13 years. 

Sullivan, Robert E., Pvt. 1st Class. 
323 Pacific Ave., Jersey City, N. J. 
Lafayette College — 2 years. 
Yard Master Lehigh Valley Railroad — 6 
years. 

Sylvester, William A., Pvt. 

1004 East 27th, N. Portland, Ore. 
Building Contractor — 5 years. 

Thomas, Frank W., Pvt., Trans, to 1st Bat. 
Hdqts. 
R. A. Box 111, Gresham, Ore. 

Thomas, True E., Corp. 
Sutter, Sutter Co., Calif. 
Farmer — 5 years. 

Thompson, Ewing, Pvt. 1st Class. 
395 Third St., Lewiston, Idaho. 
Civil Engineer — 7 years. 

Thompson, Robert W., Pvt. 1st Class, Mont- 
pellier University, France. 
23 Lincoln Ave., Binghamton, N. Y. 
University of Syracuse. 
Fine Arts — 1 year. 
Illustrating. 

Thornton, Thomas, Pvt. 
Redgranite. Wis. 
Paving Cutter — 8 years. 

Venable, Harry M., Mas. Eng. Sr. Gr., Trans. 
to 1st Bat. Hdqts. Co. 
Charleston, W. Va. 

Virginia Military Institute — C. E. 

General Engineering — 10 years. 

Walker, Carl C, Corp. 

511 Harthan Bldg., Columbus, Ohio. 
Ohio State University— C. E. 
Street and Road Engineer — 2 years. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 133 

Walker, Robert H., Pvt. 1st Class. 
826 Wood St., Portland, Ore. 
Mt. Angel College. 
Gas and Steam Engineer — 5 years. 

Walsh, James C, Pvt. 1st Class. 
Auburn Fire Dept., New York. 

Gas and Steam Engineer — 17 years. 

Ward, George E., Pvt. 1st Class. 
236 West St., Annapolis, Md. 
Navy — 4 years. 
Railroad Expert — 3 years. 

White, Arnold P., Pvt., Trans. 

1001 W. 10th St., Vancouver, Wash. 
Highway Construction — 2 years. 

Wha'en, Martin T. 
Jenkintown, Pa. 

White, Harry B. ,Pvt. 
Clermont, Iowa. 

Whittle, Harry E., Pvt. 
Santa Rita, N. M. 

Whitworth, Edward M., Pvt. 1st Class. 
2950 Pacific Ave., San Francisco, Calif. 

Wilkinson, Walter E., Pvt. 
837 Berry Ave., Chicago, 111. 
Machinist — 3 years. 

Willikson, Ingolf A.. Pvt. 

905 S. Ivanhoe St., Portland, Ore. 
Mechanical and Plumbing — 7 years. 

Wilson, Charles S., Pvt., Trans. 

1105 Larkin St., San Francisco, Calif. 

Wilson, Thomas T., Pvt. 

610 Patterson St., Indianapolis, Ind. 
Textile Spinning — 7 years. 
Piano Case Veneering — 5 years. 
Railroad Shop Worker — 2 years. 

Wi'son, Raymond D., Pvt. 

722 W. Tijeras Ave., Albuquerque, N. M. 
Printer — 8 years. 

Woolsey, Walter B., Pvt. 1st Class. 
Aberdeen Road, Elizabeth, N. J. 
Rensselaer Poly Tech — C. E. 
General Contracting and Building — 1 
year. 

Yake— William, Sergt. 
514 W. Holiday St., Seattle, Wash. 
Railroad Work — 7 years. 

Zink, Paul H., Pvt. 

2825 W. 25th PL, Chicago, 111. 
Ammunition Plant — 3 years. 



134 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



Editorially 'We' 



Diary 



Alt (?) 




Oi'iKinatoi 



( 





Ellington 



Slack 'I hiimpson 



Trax 



AND 
The Publishing Committee 




Bergin 



McGinnity Bjoikman 

(Tiny was bashful) 



Stack 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



135 



An Afterthought by the Skipper 



At Ease — 

Men of A Company, don't be alarmed! 
This is not a Valedictory, a Sermon, or a 
Swan-song; just a few words I'd like to get 
off my chest in man-to-man style, "en 
famille" as it were. Don't expect a basket 
of bouquets, or a bawling-out, either, — 
you've had enough of those already, deserved 
and undeserved. 

As we stand here today, we seem to be 
on the peak of a Great Divide. In taking a 
back-sight, the mind's eye scans the road 
upon which we have hiked, worked, and 
played. In the far distance, I see "Camp 
Mud," and "Valley Forge" a little nearer, a 
Pond upon which there are several weirdly- 
colored and queerly-acting craft. 

Next, I catch a fleeting glimpse of "the 
Bosom of la Belle France," and a little 
longer one of a "Ville," over which seems 
to hang a Dark Cloud. From that, emerges 
a string of cigar-boxes on spools, drawn by 
a peanut-roaster whistle. Now appears a 
stopping-place that has the looks of the 
"Slough of Despond," but a cross-road sign- 
board announces the name as "Burley" — 
probably so-called because of the sizeable 
rats. Hard by, however, is snug little Snell- 
ing, cuddled down at the foot of a beautiful 
rainbow. 

From there on for quite a way the vision 
is somewhat blurred — I seem to see Chateau 
Thierry thru a screen of Chateauroux. Then 
at the foot of the last steep slope, lies 
Varennes of Marie Antoinette fame — and 
also liquid "Treasure Trove." Following in 
close order, up the grade, come La Four-de- 
Paris — so named because so different — and 
St. Juvin, where midst the havoc wrought 
by shot and shell, we finally- overtook that 
fateful eleventh hour of the eleventh day 
of the eleventh month. 

The military crest once passed, the road 
seems easier, leading thru Tavannes and 
Jeandelize to dear old Billy Maginnis, — from 
dug-outs to chateaux. Thereabouts I seem 
to see considerable mud-slinging, rock- 
spreading, and mine-blowing interspersed 
with "Y" entertainments. Holiday dinners, 
and "leaves" — both regular and irregular. 

Then comes the last pull, seemingly the 
longest and hardest of all, thru the Le Mans 
Area, with that quickly cleaned up rifle- 
range road job, numerous lectures on In- 
spection, Bull-pens, etc., back to Brest, now 
a mystic maze of duck-boards. 

Once more the path leads across the same 
little pond back to the welcome shores of 



good old U. S. A. After a quick rush to 
Camp Devens, and a delay of only a tew 
more short years, I see a general scattering 
from Maine to Texas, from Florida to Wash- 
ington. 

In looking back over the trail as a whole, 
and recalling those trying situations, the 
first impulse is to laugh and then, to laugh 
some more; but on second thought, I ex- 
perience a feeling of great satisfaction. I 
am indeed proud to have had the privilege 
of going Over There, serving, and then re- 
turning with such an outfit, — its superior 
did not exist in the A. E. F. or any other 
E. F. 

No ! Men ! You did not win the war all 
alone, as you have been accused of doing, 
along with the M. P.'s, K. P.'s and C. R. 
A. P.'s; but, take it from me, it was the old 
A Co. spirit, morale, determination, grit, 
sand, or guls. disseminated thru the Amer- 
ican and Allied Armies, that finally put the 
Kibosh on the Boche. 

We have had a Grand Experience, one 
that we wouldn't sell for a million centimes, 
or buy again for a thousand, — unless of 
course, the Boche tried once more to Boss 
the World. We've learned some good les- 
sons from the Europeans and trust they 
have learned some from us. We were glad 
to go over and help out our neighbors in a 
pinch, but we are gladder still to be home 
again, even though it is in the midst of a 
new "Great Sahara." But, really, isn't it a 
great sight to see plain water again being 
used generally for purposes other than 
merely floating canal boats? 

In conclusion, let me venture to take a 
foresight. The Boulders of Bolshevism 
which would apparently block the Road of 
Progress will surely be blasted out and the 
debris used for filling the Mires of Militar- 
ism. Also the Rents of Radicalism, and the 
Chasms of Conservatism will duly be bridged 
with the stone and steel of Commonsense. 

It couldn't be otherwise. Why? Because 
there are too many millions of loyal, level- 
headed, liberty-leaguei's, like yourselves, not 
only in this, but in all civilized countries. 
Your Great Adventure has made you better 
citizens of America, and of the World. 

My very best wishes go with each one of 
you from the Top Sgt. down — or up — to 
the Rankest Rear-Ranker. 

That's all ! 

1st Sergeant! Dismiss the Company. 
CAPT. A. S. HACKETT, C. of E. 




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138 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



CHARLES L. HOFFMAN 
FRANCIS C. BISHOP 



HAROLD L. FISH 
JOHN T. WINKHAUS 
Members, N. Y. Stock K.\<li:inKf 



STANLEY W. lillRKE 



VAN ANTWERP. BISHOP & FISH 

Mills Building 

15 BROAD STREET 



WM. C. VAN ANTWiiwi* 
ALBERT R. FISH 
THEODORE F. REYNOLDS 
Spec'»''> 



New York, January 22, 1920. 
Robert M. Stack, Esq.. 

Union Special Machine Co., 

400 No. Franklin St.treet, 

Chicago, 111. 

Dear Mr. Stack: 

I have your circular letter in regard to the book published by Company "A," with 
its foot notes, saying you think I might be interested. I most certainly am and take 
great pleasure in enclosing my cheek to pay for one copy. 

I have exchanged several letters with our old friend Capt. Davy of the outfit and 
intend to keep in touch with you all through him as long as his patience and good will 
holds out, which I hope will be always. 

Very soon after leaving you I got a commission in the Regular Army and was 
attached to the French Staff, but my most precious recollections of my year in France 
are connected invitably with dear old Company "A" and the boys. And the gold 
Engineers' insigrnia you fellows gave me is much my most precious possession and 
will always be so to my son and myself. 

My sincerest good wishes and regards to all of the outfit and always to yourself, 
in happiest memory of old times. 

Very sincerely, 

HENRY F. GODFREY. 



HEADQUARTERS 23RD ENGINEERS 



Camp Devens, Mass., June 13, 1919. 

From: Commanding Officer, 23rd Engineers. 
To: Members of 23rd Engineers. 
Subject: Services of regiment in A. E. F. 

1. The service of this regiment having been finished, and its dissolution near 
at hand, the writer wishes to congratulate it as such, and each and every member of 
same on having most successfully carried out the work for which it was organized. 
This was accomplished in spite of numerous difficulties, some of which at times 
seemed almost insurmountable, but splendid spirit, loyal co-operation and untiring 
energy on the part of all triumphed. It is fully appreciated that many men had 
service much below their capability, and that many could not be rewarded as they 
desei-ved, but all have the priceless satisfaction of duty well done. What anyone did 
was not so important as how he did it, and that he did his part, whatever it may 
have been. This seemed to be fully appreciated by the men of this regiment and was 
more than any other one thing responsible for its highly creditable record. With 
that lesson so well learned, the successes of members of the 23rd Engineers in civil 
life soon to follow should be large and many. I feel that it was an honor and privi- 
lege to have commanded the 23rd Engineers, and desire to express my sincere thanks 
and appreciation for loyal service rendered. 

My best wishes go with each any every one as we separate and again take up 
our civil duties. 

Sincerely, 



FREDERICK B. KERR, 

Colonel of Engineers. 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS i:59 



AA.. 



'^ 



My dear Editor: 



You know how Jane BuUey and I feel about the Company "A," 23rd Engineers, 
so I, for one, am delighted at being chosen a sponsor. 

Miss Bulley is still in France (I came home in November because of the death 
of my father), but as far as I am concerned, you may print the letter. 

Under separate cover the sketch I made is on its way, and with this letter I will 
mail a photograph of myself. 

I hope all this reaches you in time and please remember me to Company "A." 
It was quite the nicest time we had in France, and neither of us will ever forget any 
of vou. 



Sincerely, 




He W^\\^^- 



226 Fifth Ave.. New York City. 



AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES 

HEADQUARTERS SERVICES OF SUPPLY. 

Office Chief of Chemical Warfare Sei-vice. 

May 19, 1919. 

From: Chief of Chemical Warfare Service, A. E. F. 

To: Commanding Officer, 23rd Engineers, A. E. F. 

Subject: Farewell to the Regiment. 

1. I have learned today that the first portion of your regiment is leaving for a 
port of embarkation for return to the United States. This is to be, therefore, a fare- 
well note. 

2. Will you please express for me, to each unit of the regiment, my hearty 
appveciaiion and gratitude for all their efforts and successes while the regiment was 
under my command ? Their devotion and loyal performance of duties, no matter how 
disagreeable and onerous, will always constitute a bright spot in my recollections of 
the war. From all sides I have heard also commendation of the way in which these 
men have performed their duties in France, not only in the rear areas, but also when 
they were so fortunate as to form a part of our victorious front line troops. 

3. I feel certain, from what I know of the G. H. Q. policy, that had the war con- 
tinued during the present season hundreds of the enlisted personnel of the regiment 
would have served as commissioned officers, not only in the Engineers, but also of 
the Artillery and other services. From what I saw of them while in the regiment. 
I know that they were capable of so serving, with credit to themselves and to the 
country. However, the fact that men of such high technical ability and standing in 
their respective communities should have volunteered to serve in the ranks shows that 
they came to France for a higher purpose than self-advancement. They are, there- 
fore, returning home with a true soldier's greatest reward, the consciousness of a war 
time duty well performed. 

4. Please extend my congratulations and best wishes to every member of the 
regiment. 

E. E. JOHNSTON, Colonel, C. W. S. 

Chief of Chemical Warfare Service. 



140 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



A Postscript 

A few notes still need threshing out. The own modesty. We can't accuse old man Mc- 

history of Co. "A" is finally being published Creedy or Zinc of this, though. Have only 

and we hope to bi'eak even. From the let- had one kick about the price, but our books 

ters we received it is evident that the com- are always open and this reminds me of an 

pany with the "highest personnel' in the appreciation due. Of course first and fore- 

A. E. F. has more than returned to its pre- most we must again more than thank the 

war status — most of us are at least battling Rescuer and God-father of our little efl^ort, 

even with old H. C. L. and some knocking Capt. A. S. Hackett, and when you Volun- 

him cold. teers are looking down into those eyes that 

We find R. D. Wilson, Andy Lush, Jimmie peer up at you .so trustfully, don't fail to 

Cameron, Paul Zink, Carl Hartley and our mention that you met and knew one regular 

old friend Mill, doing this battling double. Wearer of the Sam Browne belt and he was 

(H. C. L. of course.) your Skipper, all Man and a Regular Fellow. 

Brawley, McCarthy and Shorty Ortig de- ^'ext, the men who have contributed their 
cided to leave it to Uncle Sam once more efforts and time since discharged, and finally 
and joined the Air Service. Bill Ellington those regular buddies who, noticing the (if 
is the Principal of Biggs' Cal., High School "ot, five men lost) clause in our circular let- 
and Stracken, Professor of Civil Engineer- ter crying for $6.50 per, came back with 
ing at Kansas Univ., while Joe Ayers' letter- such replies as Sarg Coates, my old Roy- 
head "knocks 'em all cold." (Write him for aumeix mentor, "just make that a six-man 
one.) loss. I'm with you both heart and check- 

You'll find the Skipper in business in New ^^^k." Others with similar grateful strams, 

Orleans, care of Whitney Bldg. Write him ^'iH mention Bob Gray, Andy Lush, Dick 

—you'll meet another Regular Fellow in Powers, Ray Cowan, Roy McPharlm, Norm 

civies (we sure did.) Joe, I guess, is lost Malsness, and many more to date. (We're 

in the sage-bru.sh and cactus, Traxie in Clin- «till liable to take them up at that— have an 

ton, N. C, while our friend Shorty is get- ^ven hundred orders in but Pay Day ought 

ting thin chasing razorbacks in Blytheville, ^^ avalanche us.) 

Ark. (the burg we have to thank for our Two more ideas the letters brought forth. 

old supply sergeant, Mitch, as usual, he's We need a permanent organization and a 

just out, at least we haven't heard from convention date and site. Taking the bull 

him. ) by the horns: how does the following appeal 

Even our old friend, The Draft Dodger, is ^^ ^ temporary organization until the Con- 

among our clients— he shouldn't kick— gave mention meets and appoints a permanent 

him a whole page here and Petite also men- ''oard. 

tions him in the Argonne article. Any one The Co. ''A" 23rd Engineers Society ' 

in need of a good office boy or chain man j^qj^ p-^es A S. Hackett 

write him— you have my permission. The Temp. Acting Pres;'"r.".^!"""I'.'.'.Dennie Bergin 

.same holds true for Rider. That's my con- Temp. Acting Vice-Pres John Bjorkman 

tribution of personalities, hoye you'll pardon Temp. Act. Sec. and Treas Pete McGinnity 

i*;iipy M?n''."n^<T"''rT*I''^ ^''''^''\ "•" *^' <Tiny and I don't rate jobs as we elected 

Laziest Man in A Co. long enough. ,, ,' ,, .,, ^ 4. jj 

^ „. 1 1 , .. TT- r ^ , . the above — all with permanent addresses 

^ipf If n,r. tn^:, ^' History To date. ^^^ ^he Actives here in Chicago.) 

(goes to press tomorrow) everything is in „ ^ .^ , , • . i.^ j xi 

except the Frontispiece by Miss McMein as ^^^ if anyone else wants a job attend the 

the original was lost, but we have hopes, submitted Convention date and site as fol- 

The Diary ends May 29, 1919 (Doc's back lows: 

fnn'^v r*""** i^^^' '^''r^T ^°\^^Hi;-.'^.^^"- NOVEMBER 12-13-14 

sons Native Son's discharge.) Tried to rinrArn it t 

pick out the snap-shots with the greatest '^ "*'- AlxU, li^L. 

variety and number of Company in, but if Most of the men are in the Highway game 

I failed in your individual case, blame your and things are frozen up about that date 



COMPANY "A" 23rd ENGINEERS 



141 



and you'll all have spare cash after a full 
year's effort and Chicago is as centrally lo- 
cated as one can find. 

Write your opinions on this to the Secy., 
Pete McGinnity, .508 So. Sacramento Blvd., 
Chicago, and thresh it out, but from the 
general consensus of opinions that date and 
site comes as nearly satisfying all as can 
any. Keep Pete lined on your change of 
addresses (and circumstances, too, if neces- 
sary for it is only natural that some of us 
may go down while others will go up and 
I know, be in a position to help any former 



member of the old gang — and more than 
willing (o) so make it a point to keep in 
touch with Pete and accept the Committees' 
wishes of a very prosperous year and may 
they prosper more and more as reminis- 
cences of old "A" Co. grow dimmer and dim- 
mer, which we hope need not happen even 
after the last on of us has answered the 
Final Taps. 

Your old comrade and buddy. 



BOB STACK. 



Chicago, Jan. 28, 1920. 



Convention 

Nov. 12-13-14, 1920 

Chicago, 111. 



